Final Fantasy 7 Novelization
by Dash Martino
Summary: An in-depth novelization of FF7! R&R!


**__**_Final Fantasy VII_

  
  


by John "Dash" Martino

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Forward:

  
  


Final Fantasy VII is yet another landmark game from Squaresoft. Following in the footsteps of epic classics such as the original Final Fantasy Series, Legend of Zelda, and Chrono Trigger, FF VII delivers another smashing storyline, complete with unforgettable characters, exotic locations, thrilling battles, and raw human emotions. It develops into a superb adventure story which becomes hard to stop reading.

Final Fantasy VII dives deep into the realm of the human psyche. Readers will follow the adventures of ex-SOLDIER Cloud Strife as he struggles to understand who he is, why he is, and where he came from. He battles painful and confused memories in order to sort out the truth and find his ultimate destiny. Along the way his memory is only further scrambled by the cold and emotionless Sephiroth, an old acquaintance of Cloud. It is Sephiroth who holds the true secret to Cloud's life, and who knows he can control the young man easily. 

Along the way, Cloud is given support from his friends, who know that Sephiroth is fooling with the young man's brain. Only their belief in his true character can save him from total breakdown, and motivate him to stop Sephiroth from total world domination... 

  
  


Disclaimer: This novel is solely the author's interpretation of the events in Squaresoft's _Final Fantasy VII_ video game. The characters, plot line, and events are all property of Squaresoft Inc.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Book the First: 

Scratching the Surface of the Past

  
  
  
  


I.

  
  


The cold, endless globe of space spun round and round in an endless tumble. It held in balance the many stars and planets that make up the universe. Together they formed an endless blanket of speckles and dust that fill the sky. No matter where you would look, you would only see patches of stars, nebulae, gas, and other heavenly bodies. 

The feeling of existence was empty. A single life form gazing at this endless display of lights could not comprehend the entire universe. That life form would feel small and alone. He, she, or it would feel insignificant, or even non-existent.

A similar feeling traveled through a young woman's mind deep inside this unending expanse of space. Her eyes, which mimicked two brightly-burning green stars, pierced the darkness of the night as she looked outward. Her surroundings almost swallowed her whole.

Slowly she de-railed the negative train of thought as she walked along. The loud sound of her foot striking the stone street resounded throughout the alleyway, echoing off the immense buildings that stretched into the sky. They followed one after the other, slowly coming closer to the end of the alleyway.

The woman was young. She was only about the age of twenty. That is, if her mother was right. Her past was mysterious. Even she did not know for sure exactly where she had come from. Her origins were never clear to her. She was about five feet and two or three inches tall. Her eyes were a brilliant bluish-green that could pierce the hears of many. Her brunette hair was braided up in a long ponytail that came down to the end of her back. She had two locks of braided hair on her shoulders. Two graceful tufts hung down on either side of her forehead. She wore a pink work dress that came down to her ankles and had a red jacket. In her hand was a basket full of flowers. 

She stepped out of the alley and onto the street. The dark sky was full of pitch-black clouds that blanketed the city from the intense rays of the sun. Thick, black smoke supplied this heavy cover of the metropolis. 

The mysterious girl shook her head as she looked at the cobblestone city street. It stretched in either direction as far as her eye could see. Tall, tan-colored buildings stood ten stories above her. Each one housed a less than honest business, be it the theater house, the palm reader, or the pawn shop. Bums and derelicts wandered the streets, picking through garbage and looking at the drains. 

Of course, some people in the city of Midgar enjoyed a great deal of opulence. The part where the young woman watched the activity was one of the middle class sections.

Midgar, a city with no night or day due to a thick covering of pollution, was shaped like a giant floating disk. It stood hundreds of meters off of the ground, supported by eight heavy columns. The city on top of the disk was dark and dirty, but was still a liveable habitat. In the center was the higher-class civilization, littered with skyscrapers and people using cell phones.

The city was governed by a body called the Shinra, which housed its representatives in a massive seventy-story building in the very center of town. The president of this government had arranged eight massive Mako energy reactors at the edge of the city. Each one drew pure Mako energy from the underground, converting it into electricity for the many inhabitants of the floating disk. 

Underneath the floating city lived perhaps the dirtiest, filthiest civilization imaginable. It was the original city of Midgar long ago, but since a great disaster had destroyed it, a second layer had been built on top. Thousands of ruined buildings were strewn in this miserable hell hole. There were no roads or streets, but there were crawl spaces and paths through the infinite amount of garbage. People living under the floating city were mostly poor, and struggled to survive. 

Back on the upper level of the metropolis, the mysterious flower girl walked across the street to a bridge. She looked at a distant Mako energy reactor which belched smoke into the sky and added to the thick blanket of pollution covering the city. She felt a deep pain in her heart caused by the lack of sunshine and fresh air.

A loud whistle echoed in her ears. She looked down under the bridge and was caught with a blast of steam from a train engine. She closed her eyes and shook her head, backpedaling away from the edge of the bridge. 

The train continued on a straight railway towards the Mako reactor. 

  
  


The train ran on through the endless night. It traveled through the dark alleyways, through tunnels, and across bridges. A stream of thick, black smoke poured from the stack at the front of the engine, trailing like a snake to the end of the train. Its bright light pierced the thick smog and darkness, showing the large Mako reactor building ahead.

The engineer of the train sat in the cab, checking the valves and dials. He looked out the window and saw the building fast approaching, then smiled.

He was a large, dark-skinned man, weighing near three hundred pounds. He wore heavy combat boots and dark green pants. A thick black belt encircled his waist, and he wore an open grey jacket that revealed metal bands encircling his abdomen. The jacket had one sleeve which covered his entire right arm, including his hand. The other sleeve was missing at the shoulder joint, revealing his muscular arms and a fiery skull tatoo. He wore a dog tag around his neck, and sported a black beard and a crew cut. His one ear was pierced, and his eyes were like pieces of obsidian. 

He picked up a radio from a table nearby and turned it on. He moved it up to his mouth and pressed the button to talk. "We're coming up on the building," said the engineer in a deep and booming voice. "You know what to do when we stop."

"Affirmative," replied a scratchy voice at the other end of the transmitter.

The engineer turned the radio off and put it back on the table. He sat down comfortably at his stool and eased the throttle forward, cutting the speed of the train. He rested the sleeved arm against the open window, and there was the sound of a metal-on-metal clank.

With a hiss of steam, the train traveled under several catwalks and girders, signaling the upcoming Mako reactor. It was shaped like a giant half-egg, shooting up from the upper part of the city. Huge cranes and equipment encircled it, showing that there was still some work to be done.

The train pulled up to a platform right outside of the massive reactor building. It stopped with a blast of steam and a great hiss. A green overhang shielded the concrete platform, which held three red-garbed soldiers and four forklifts.

The engine stopped spewing smoke, and the front light died down. The soldiers, each one wearing a red overcoat and a red hat, carried guns as they walked up to the engine cab. The sergeant among them stepped forward and waved to the engineer.

The large man operating the train turned and looked out the window. He smiled and got off of his stool, then slowly descended the steps to the platform. He landed with a thud and drew himself up to full height in front of the sergeant.

"Shipment One-One-Thirty-Eight?" asked the sergeant.

The engineer nodded.

"Thank you," said the soldier. "Please leave the station while your cargo is unloaded."

"I think it's time to unload you," said the engineer.

"What?" asked the sergeant.

A deafening burst of gunfire echoed through the platform as the three soldiers fell to the ground. Massive bullet wounds were carved in their sides, and blood spilled across the concrete, dripping down into the railroad tracks. 

An red light immediately began to blink, near the stairway into the building from the platform, accompanied by a loud blaring. The engineer turned and aimed his arm with the tattered sleeve at the light. With another white flash and a quick burst of sound, the light was shattered and the siren had ceased.

A door on a freight car behind the engine opened wide, and three figures rolled out onto the platform. One was a woman with a red bandana around her long hair and tan pants. Another was a heavyset man with a red bandana, a yellow shirt, and a bandolier. The third was a tall, slender man who had a red bandana on with grey pants and a blue shirt.

The large man ripped his tattered sleeve off, revealing an equally muscular arm. In place of his hand was a deadly-looking machine gun. He spun it around, reloading the shells into the chamber for the next battle. He turned to the three figures and shook his head.

"Took yas long enough," said the engineer.

"Any sooner and you woulda been blasted before you splattered those goons," said the woman.

"Freeze!" shouted a voice. The four motley invaders had failed to pick up a set of footsteps heading down the stairs onto the platform. They turned around and saw a large soldier toting a mini machine gun, aiming his weapon at the band of rebels.

The engineer shook his head and looked at the soldier. "Damn, we screwed this one up."

A shadow moved quickly behind the gun-toting trooper, and with a quick flash the man was cut in half. Each side fell swiftly to the concrete platform, and the gun clattered to the ground. Above the neatly cleaved soldier stood a new figure.

"It's a good thing I didn't hide in the compartment with you guys," said the soldier's assailant.

The figure was a man of medium stature, and he wore a blue jumpsuit. He sported a pair of combat boots and a heavy belt at his waist. He wore a metal shoulder protector on his left side and had a pair of leather gloves. He had piercing blue eyes with sparkles and blonde hair that was spiked sharply. Perhaps his most imposing feature was his incredibly massive four-foot sword which he slung over his right shoulder. Its tip was stained with blood, and its blade was razor sharp.

"That was too close, newcomer," said the engineer.

"Let's roll," said the woman. 

The engineer nodded and ran across the platform and up the steps where the alarm had been shattered. The woman and the other two from the freight car followed them, and the man with the gigantic sword brought up the rear.

  
  


The five invaders rushed through a narrow, dimly-lit hallway. Several cables and wires hung down from the ceiling, and many boxes were stacked on the sides. At the other end of the hall was a massive red door blocking entrance into the reactor elevator, which would take them all to their main target somewhere inside the floating city.

The heavyset man with the bandolier turned to the tall and lanky man. "So, Biggs, who's this new guy with us?" asked the large man, as he struggled to run through the halls.

"I don't know what his name is, Wedge," said the tall man.

"I heard he used to be in SOLDIER," said Wedge.

"Yeah, but he says it was awhile ago," said Biggs.

"So? SOLDIER is the top military division of Shinra! They'd do anything to stop us!" 

"They don't even care about AVALANCHE," said Biggs. 

"After today they sure as hell will," said Wedge.

"Well, we'll just keep him on hand. That massive sword he packs will come in handy."

"Hey, shut up back there, dammit!" said the engineer.

The two rebels quieted up quickly. 

Soon, the party of five arrived at the thick red door at the other end of the hallway. The engineer stood on the side of it and crossed his arms, waiting for his band of renegades to catch up.

The tall man arrived first and knelt down in front of a control panel and reached into his jacket. He pulled out several tools and quickly began to unscrew several pieces of metal, revealing a tangle of wires and electrodes.

"How long will it take?" asked the engineer.

"Five minutes," said Biggs.

The man with the machine gun arm watched as the woman and Wedge stood in front of the door, panting. The other man with the spiky hair and the heavy sword stood silently, unmoving. He was not breathing hard, and his sharp blue eyes bore into the red door.

The engineer looked at the last arrival and narrowed his eyes. "What's your name, kid?" he asked. "Didn't quite pick it up, but Tifa said you were good."

"Cloud Strife, Ex-SOLDIER First Class," said the spiky-haired man.

"Ex-SOLDIER?" asked the engineer. "No wonder Tifa hired you. You'll be able to show us all around this reactor. But if you try and pull anything funny and I'll tear you to ribbons with my arm. Comprende?"

"Understood," said Cloud with a cold tone.

"My name is Barret Wallace," said the engineer. "This woman here is Jessie, the fat guy is Wedge, and the guy on the control panel is Biggs."

"I don't care what your names are," said Cloud, not blinking or moving. "As soon as this is over, I'm out of here."

"Damn you're cold, son," said Barret, his eyes narrowing. He turned his head back around and looked at Biggs. "How the hell much longer is this gonna take?"

The tall man shook his head. "Almost there. Just gotta cross these-"

With a hiss of steam, the red door opened, revealing a large cargo elevator. It was more or less a platform surrounded by a metal cage. A passenger could see outside into the massive pipes and framework that shot up into a tower high above.

"I'll secure this passage," said Biggs. He reached at his back and unhooked a mean-looking assault rifle. "You guys get down there and blast the reactor." 

"You heard him," said Barret. "All of yas, get in the elevator!"

The four remaining members of the party nodded and crowded into the elevator. Barret walked over to the control panel and pushed several buttons. Two mesh doors wrapped around the space where the red door had been, and the platform descended into the depths below.

The lights glared and flashed over the four rebels as the elevator cage descended further into the depths. Barret watched the numbers go down and down, looking at the heavy plated doors. He looked up high above and saw the endless expanse of darkness high above from which they had come from the train platform. He looked down and saw a green glow, emanating from the powerful Mako reactor.

He turned to Cloud and looked him over. "So you ever been in a reactor, son?" asked the man with the machine gun arm, narrowing his eyes and waiting to boast his experience.

"Yeah," said Cloud coldly. "Remember I'm an Ex-SOLDIER."

Barret shook his head, disappointed that the kid had an edge over him. He looked at him again and continued. "This planet is full of Mako energy, which is the life blood of the Earth. Shinra uses these massive reactor buildings to suck it out of the ground. Little by little the planet will wither and die. Then we'll all be done for."

"It's not my problem," said Cloud, emotionlessly. "I just want to get in here and blast your reactor before more guards show up."

Barret curled his lip angrily. He curled his fist and stepped closer to the stone-like Cloud.

A bell dinged, and a green light on top of the elevator cage went on. Barret looked up, and Wedge was already on his way out of the door. Jessie grabbed the man with the machine gun arm and distracted him from the spiky haired kid. "Let him go, Barret," said the woman. "We're close now. I can almost feel the energy radiation."

Barret turned away from Cloud and walked out of the elevator door. Jessie looked at the spiky-haired kid and winked. "He has a temper," she said. "Don't make him angry."

Cloud stood there motionless, not even bothering to respond to the woman's comment. He walked past her and stood next to Barret outside the elevator door.

The band of rebels emerged from the elevator carriage into an endless chasm of twisted metal pipes and catwalks. Steam belched from massive tubes that cris-crossed the great chamber. Massive steel girders supported the cold brick walls. Small ladders and steps led from one level of girders to the other. At the very bottom of the great pit was a pool of a greenish fluid. On the opposite side of the room, just above the pool, was a massive spark-plug shaped battery. 

Cloud looked down from his narrow perch on the platform attached to the brick wall. "This is the reactor room," said Barret, looking at the blond warrior. "That green puke way down there is the Mako residue from the power conduit. Fall in that crap and your brains will be fried for the rest of your life."

"I've been directly exposed before," said the spiky haired rebel. 

Barret narrowed his eyes and looked back down into the endless pit. "Well, don't fall in there cause I ain't goin' down there to hoist you out." He looked at the numerous black boxes stationed around the room, aiming down at the catwalks. "Take it quickly across the catwalks. Those security cameras will set off alarms!"

Cloud looked up at the massive spider web cris-crossing the room. "No problem," he said.

"Alright, tough guy," said Barret. He clenched his teeth and turned around to Wedge and Jessie. "Wedge, you stay here and watch the elevator. Jessie, you go down to that girder and act as a sentry. Pick off any guards that come after us!" The gun-armed man pointed to a girder twenty feet down from the elevator platform.

"Right!" said Jessie, smiling and making a mock salute.

The massive gun-armed man growled and turned around. He walked to the edge of the platform and grabbed a green pipe that was attached to the wall. He launched himself across a gap and held firmly onto the pipe. He stood up and carefully walked across the pipe. On the other side of the pipe was a ladder bent at a forty-five degree angle. It descended downwards to a girder that was perpendicular to the wall. 

Barret, closely followed by Cloud and Jessie, reached the other side and hopped onto the ladder. He slowly lowered his body downward, rung by rung. The other two rebels followed above him, slowly working their way to the girder below. 

A waft of foul odor reached up from deep in the pool of radioactive energy. Barret caught the scent, and he covered his mouth to prevent himself from vomiting. He closed his eyes as his stomach flipped at the noxious gas. 

"Damn, there's gotta be a better way to do this!" he said as he rested momentarily, looking down into the chasm. He looked above to see how Jessie and Cloud were doing. 

Cloud, with his massive weapon strapped to his back, held onto the ladder with an eerie calmness. "What's the holdup?" he asked.

With a growl, Barret narrowed his eyes and clenched his teeth. "We all aren't radiation proof like you, ya spiky haired freak!" He turned around and looked at another ladder that led down to a metal pipe. He looked at Jessie and motioned for her to come near.

"What is it, boss?" she asked as she hopped off the ladder and walked over to him. 

"Jessie," said Barret, "stay here on this girder and use your rifle to pick off any troops that might come after us."

"Right!" said the female rebel, giving him a mock salute. She crouched down on the metal girder and loaded up her long-barreled rifle. 

Barret turned to the calm and emotionless Cloud. "We're close to the reactor now. We go down that ladder, across that pipe, and then down the other ladder to the walkway. Once we cross the walkway we'll go to the reactor and set the bomb."

Cloud nodded. "Lead the way," he said quietly, motioning to the next ladder.

Barret snarled at the unusual calmness of the ex-SOLDIER. He turned around and climbed down the rungs until he got onto another pipe. He hopped off and crossed the pipe. Another ladder at his feet led downwards to a catwalk that spanned the pool of radioactive Mako energy.

He quickly climbed down the rungs, his footsteps echoing in the massive chamber. He got off of the ladder and stood on the narrow walkway, waiting for Cloud to follow him. The spiky-haired rebel quickly dismounted and waited for Barret's command.

"Don't just stand there, blondie," said the gun-armed man. "Get goin!" 

Cloud crossed the catwalk, looking up at the massive reactor column. It was shaped like a massive sparkplug. Its column-shaped form stretched from the narrow walkway all the way up to the ceiling of the reactor chamber. At its base was a computer control panel with many screens and buttons.

"Bingo," Barret whispered as he walked up to the console. He held his breath for several seconds as he pushed a botton. No alarm went off. "Yes!" he whispered. Just as Tifa had specified, no camera had its angle pointed on the metal platform.

Cloud walked slowly behind him. The large gun-armed man was already hard at work, flipping switches on the computer console and looking up at the reactor column. He stopped for a moment and looked at the rebel with the massive blade strapped to his back.

"Well don't just stand there!" said Barret. "Set the damn bomb!"

"Don't you want to watch me so I don't pull anything?" said Cloud coldly.

Barret flipped a final switch and turned around. "Yeah, as a matter of fact I will," he said, crossing his arms. "I re-routed the Mako energy conduit so the source is directly next to where we are. You plant that bomb right on the reactor column and this place will blow sky high!"

Cloud nodded. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small rectangular box. At one end of the object was a digital clock. He pressed several buttons below the clock and looked at the massive reactor column.

A high-pitched whistle echoed through Cloud's ears. Dropping the object, he grabbed his ears and sank to his knees. The deafening noise echoed through his skull, impairing his every thought. He shook his head, trying to calm his blaring senses down. He closed his eyes as the world around him became a white cloud. 

"Watch out! This isn't just a reactor!" said a distant voice inside his head.

Without a warning, the noise and whiteness stopped. Cloud opened his eyes and took his hands off of his ears. He picked up the bomb and slowly got up.

"What's wrong?" asked Barret.

Cloud blinked and stared down at his explosive device. "Huh?"

"What's wrong kid?" asked the gun-armed man again. "Hurry it up!"

The blonde-haired rebel shook his head. "Yeah, sorry..." He blinked again, making sure the eerie disturbance was out of his head. He flicked a switch on the bomb, and the clock which read 10:00 slowly began to tick down. Carefully he walked over to the massive power column and stuck the device to its side with a little adhesive.

A loud, blaring siren emitted from somewhere in the massive chamber. Large floodlights immediately shined down on the two rebels standing at the reactor console.

A scowl crossed Barret's face. He held his machine gun arm in his other hand, and tensed his muscles. "Here they come," he said, feeding a long string of bullets into his weapon. 

Cloud reached behind his back and grasped the handle of his massive blade. He lifted the heavy blade out of its holster and brought it into a defensive position. He narrowed his shiny eyes and glared at the beginning of the walkway back to the elevator. 

The noise of what seemed to be a dozen mechanical pistons came from deep in the Mako pit. Blasts of steam and smoke came from under the catwalk as six mechanical pincers reached up from the chasm and clasped onto the walkway. Attached to the pincers was a massive orange body with wires and guns protruding from it. The orange body hoisted itself over the rail of the passageway and rested itself on its six legs on the metal deck. Two massive chain guns extended from inside the thick armor and aimed down at the two rebels. A long tail with a nasty laser cannon at the end uncoiled from the mechanical beast's rear and curved above its head.

It walked forward onto the platform with the console and aimed its chain guns at the two rebels.

Cloud narrowed his eyes and smiled.

Barret instantly raised his machine gun and released several quick bursts into the eye sensors of the scorpion-like mechanical beast. The bullets created a shower of sparks in the monster's face, along with a thick cloud of smoke. 

With a mechanical scream, the beast released a shower of shells onto the deck from its dual cannon on top of its body. Barret and Cloud rolled away from the center of the platform, hugging the rails as the scorpion chewed up the metal plates. The shells created massive sparks and smoke as the creature tried to shake the smoke from its eyes.

Barret reached into his pocket and pulled out several dark green shells. He removed the other shells from his arm cannon and threw them over the rails. He loaded the dark green shells and spun the gun into position. He glanced over to see Cloud crouching by the railing, still holding his sword in a defensive position.

"Yo, kid!" he shouted.

Cloud looked over.

"I got some heavy shells in my gun," said Barret. "If you can cut that bug down to size with that big blade of yours, I can put a serious hurtin' on its armor!"

Cloud nodded. He stood up and held his sword in an offensive stance, then rushed across the platform as the beast turned its guns toward him. Barret heard its roar as the guns clicked, loading up the bullets. 

_The kid's toast now_, he thought. _At least it'll provide enough of a distraction so I can pierce its armor!_

A fury of shells shot out from the twin cannons. A shower of sparks and smoke filled the section of the platform where Cloud was standing. The blast seemed to swallow up the blonde-haired rebel. 

Barret shook his head as the beast buried the young warrior in a storm of shells. _So much for him..._ He raised his gun arm at the center section of the beast and prepared to fire.

Before he could fire, one of the leg joints connected to the body gave way and erupted in a blast of electricity and fire. The scorpion's body wavered and started to shake. It wobbled on its other five legs, then turned to face Barret.

"What the hell?" he sad aloud. "I didn't shoot it!"

Cloud stood in front of the mechanical monster, his massive sword ready to strike again. His body was apparently unscathed by the shower of shells the beast had released seconds ago. 

"Damn! That kid moves so fast I didn't even see him cut that bucket o' bolts!"

The blonde-haired rebel held his sword in one hand. He touched a green gem embedded in a slot on the blade. It began to emit a green glow along with a hum. An aura seemed to surround the young man as he spun the sword in his hand.

"He's packin' Materia!" said Barret. He looked up and noticed the mechanical monster had not seen Cloud. Instead, it was bearing down towards the gun-armed man, its cannons ready to fire.

Cloud holstered his sword behind his back and curled his fists. 

From the ceiling high above, a blast of electricity struck the mechanical beast with a crack of thunder. It shuddered as the energy coursed through its metal body, frying its circuits and shorting out its computer brain. With a deafening scream, the monster's tail curled up over its head and began to glow with a blue hue.

"Cloud, get out of the way!" shouted Barret.

The tip of the tail let loose several blue blasts of laser energy. Cloud backpedaled as the monster continuously shot at him, but to no avail.

With careful aim, the gun-armed man tracked the tail. He loaded the bullets into their chambers and shot several quick bursts. In a shower of sparks, the cannon on the tip of the tail shattered into metal fragments, and the beast roared once again. 

"Finish it, Cloud!" shouted Barret, bringing his hand to his mouth to amplify his voice. "Don't give it a chance to reload shells!"

The young rebel stood on top of the console and narrowed his shiny blue eyes. He reached behind his back and once again withdrew his heavy blade. He spun it around in circles as he felt a deep heat grow in his body.

The boy leapt into the air and onto the back of the mechanical beast. He held his sword above his left shoulder, then brought it down with inhuman strength.

Barret heard the deafening sound of metal being ripped as Cloud slashed through the thick armor plating of the monster. He buried several deep cuts and fried its remaining circuitry. With an unmatched fury, the boy kept hacking away until smoke was pouring out of the back of the mechanical monster.

With one last burst of anger, Cloud raised his sword and drove it deeper into the back of the beast than any of his previous strikes. It created a loud crackling sound and a shower of sparks shot up. The monster, weary from the energy loss, collapsed on the deck and belched smoke from every orifice on it.

Satisfied, the young warrior glared down at the remains of the beast and holstered his massive blade. He hopped off its back and looked at the bomb on the wall of the reactor. The small display on the top of the explosive device now showed the time of 3:26 instead of 10:00, as it had originally. 

"Barret, let's move it," said Cloud coldly. "We only have three minutes before this thing goes nuclear."

"What?" shouted the large gun-armed man. 

Cloud did not hesitate to answer his question. He immediately turned around and dashed across the wreckage of the fallen scorpion robot. He crossed the narrow catwalk that spanned the chasm of Mako energy, heading for the elevator.

Barret stomped across the walkway, following the spiky-haired warrior's lead. He growled and grumbled, angry that he had wasted time fighting the defense robot. His upper lip curled at the strange calmness that the heavily-armed rebel was showing throughout the mission.

The blonde-haired warrior grabbed onto the ladder and quickly began to climb. He reached the pipe and crossed it, then climbed another ladder to the metal girder. Barret followed closely.

Jessie stood on the narrow metal bar. She was grasping at her leg with a strained expression on her face. Cloud looked down and saw that her foot was caught in the metal grating. She grunted as she tried to work it free, but she only seemed to be wedging it in deeper.

He knelt down and grasped firmly, then slipped it out from the grating. Jessie shook her foot, trying to dislodge the pins-and-needles feeling inside. She looked at Cloud as he stood up with his face rigid and emotionless. Breaking the eye-to-eye contact, he turned and climbed another ladder. 

"Thanks," whispered the female rebel as she motioned for Barret to climb the ladder. They continued their ascent until they came to the platform near the elevator cage, where a frantic Wedge was waving his arms.

The remaining rebels hurried onto the metal elevator cage and braced the bars on the side. Jessie flipped several switches and pushed a button on a control panel. The heavy steel doors slammed shut, and the cable attached to the top of the elevator cage immediately began to pull. With a mechanical grinding, the cage quickly began to ascend up the shaft.

Barret tapped his foot and paced back and forth as the numbers on the walls changed. He looked up into the top of the shaft and saw nothing but blackness. He glanced down at his watch, hearing the seconds tick down to the detonation of the bomb.

Jessie flicked a switch on the controls.

"What the hell did you just do?" asked the gun-armed rebel, widening his eyes at his assistant's change to the panel.

"We can't go out the way we came," said Jessie, flipping several other switches. "The train is probably rigged to explode, or else there's guards all over the place. We all thought that scorpion thing was gonna kill us, so we didn't even bother planning an escape route."

Barret scratched his head. "Yeah, you're right..." he said. "But what the hell are we gonna do?"

Jessie smiled. "We're going to take the streets of Midgar and hop a train down to the slums."

"What?" shrieked Wedge, his eyes bulging out. "How can we possibly get through the streets without getting caught by patrols?"

"We look like your common band of weirdos," said Cloud calmly. "We'll fit right in, and we'll find a train no problem."

"Right," said Jessie, turning around. "I changed the elevator panel so it would take us to a few floors above the train station and dump us right into an alleyway. We'll still have to make a run for it though, cause this baby is gonna light up the night sky!"

Barret nodded, grumbling softly. "I guess we don't have any other choice..." he said. "When we get out on the street, everyone split up and head to the Sector Eight train station! We'll hop a train to the slums!"

No sooner had the leader of the rebel band finished his speech than the elevator door had opened. The soft, yellow glow of a Midgar streetlight filtered into the cage. No one was milling around the street, and it was a safe haven for the band of renegades.

"Move out!" shouted Barret. He dashed through the open elevator door and ran through the alley. His footsteps echoed off the cobblestones as he searched for a hiding place. He held his arm low to conceal his gun, wary of any strangers walking by.

Cloud sprinted at an inhuman speed past the rest of the rebels as they took refuge behind a garbage dumpster several blocks away from the reactor building. He was already in another sector of the city as the bomb counted off the last few seconds.

The spiky-haired rebel stood in the middle of the street and looked back at the huge tower several hundred meters away. He held up his watch. "Three... two... one..."

For one last second, the might Mako energy tower was silhouetted against the night sky of the sleepless city of Midgar. Deep within the tower, a rumbling began to grow. Beams of energy lanced out from beneath the superstructure of the building.

Without further warning, the great reactor building exploded, throwing thousands of stones and bricks through the air. The tower was replaced with a gargantuan fireball that was hundreds of times taller than the original tower was. A ring of energy lanced out, circling the city and stretching across its buildings. Shrapnel and debris fell down from the eternal night like a rain from hell. The boom was deafening, and it shattered the eardrums of anyone lucky enough to survive the blast caused by the rebels.

Cloud closed his eyes and threw his head back. He slowly began to chuckle. It evolved into a soft cackle, and then it became an evil laugh of insanity...

  
  
  
  
  
  


II

  
  


A massive earthen bowl stretched from horizon to horizon. It was barren and devoid of green plants and vegetation. Instead, it was covered by a thick blanket of smog, produced by the massive floating disk in the center of the bowl. 

The city of Midgar was smack dab in the middle of a great topographical depression in a continent. As a result, its pollution filled up the hole, making it a thick death trap of smog. The city was the only bright beacon in the center of the massive depression, casting light through the thick smoke.

At the edge of this depression a lone man stood looking down at the city in the center. He wore a long jet-black cape down to his ankles. His feet were covered by knee-high black boots, and he wore equally dark pants. His shirt was just as devoid of color, and his shoulders were protected by large metal shields. Two leather bands crossed his bare chest, and he wore thick leather gloves over his hand. His face was sharp, and his mouth was thin. His eyes were aqua blue, capped by dark, foreboding eyebrows. His grey hair extended down to his hips, and he had two long strands on either side of his face. In his left hand he carried a six foot long curved sword that could cut through almost anything.

He narrowed his blue eyes as he concentrated on the small blip in the center of the bowl that was called Midgar. A brilliant orange flash had recently flared up around the edge of the floating city, towering high into the cloud of smog.

"It is time," said the man. "I am coming, mother..."

Slowly, carrying his long blade, the man known as Sephiroth headed towards the city. 

  
  


The streets of Midgar erupted into a massive riot. The center portion of the floating disk was swarmed with panicked citizens, pounding on the Shinra Headquarters Skyscraper out of fear. Others ran towards the Sector One Reactor Building that had just burst into a massive tower of flame that rose high into the night sky. Still more of the population began to loot stores on the streets in the midst of the chaos.

Several blocks from the remnants of the reactor building, a hooded Cloud Strife walked through a lonely alleyway, keeping his eyes on the ground. He wanted to avoid the mobs, which would probably involve a heavy amount of crowd control police. After his involvement in the earlier disaster, it would be wise to avoid the authorities.

It had been awhile since he had last been to Midgar. Sector Eight was right next to Sector One, due to the disk shape of the city. He would find the railroad station and get on the next departure for the Sector Seven slums beneath the plate.

A sudden twinge from far away caught his mind. He grasped his forehead and sunk to his knees. A loud whining sound filled his ears, blocking out the noise of the mobs and the riots. He shook his head, trying to remove the strange, alien disturbance.

His vision was suddenly obscured by a ghastly image from the past. He no longer saw the alleyway. Instead, flames surrounded him, engulfing his line of sight. A lone figure was walking away from him. It had a black cape and long, grey hair down to its hips. He carried a long sword in his left hand.

"He's close... Sephi-"

"Hey!" shouted a voice from beyond.

The image of the black-caped figure disappeared from the eyes of the young man who knelt down in the alley. The blaring whistling was gone, and he could feel the break down slowly leaving his mind.

Instead hellish image of fire and brimstone, Cloud saw the most beautiful sight he had ever seen in his entire life. She had ocean-deep green eyes with a penetrating essence. Her lips were red and thin. Her face was flawless, and two wisps of brown hair hung down on either side of her heart-shaped face.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Uhm..." replied Cloud.

"You look tired," she said. "You must have been hurt in that awful mob! Poor thing!" She gently caressed his face, lifting the pain of the past from his eyes and mind. 

Cloud was enraptured by her beauty. Never in his life, even in his service in SOLDIER, had he seen such a lovely woman. Her features were perfect, and her voice was sweet and melodious, giving him a great deal of relief from the intense battle he had just fought.

The young woman turned her head and looked back down the alley, shaking her head at the angry rioters. "This happens every once in awhile..." she murmured. She turned and looked back at Cloud, who was slowly getting up. "What happened anyway?"

The spiky-haired rebel shook his head. "It'd be in your best interest if you got out of this sector," he said with a strangely warm voice. "Must be a rebel uprising or something..."

The young girl was taken aghast. She took several steps back. "Okay, if you say so..." she said, turning in the other direction. She slowly began to walk away, and her heels clicked against the stone pavement and echoed against the walls of the alley.

She hesitated and turned around. She walked back to Cloud, who stood still. Reaching into a basket on her left arm, she pulled out a red flower. She handed it to the blonde-haired warrior, smiling shyly. "Here's for the warning..." 

With that, the young woman turned and dashed out of the alley, heading down the street for the nearest exit to Sector One. Cloud stood there, staring down at the flower the strange girl had given to him.

"Flowers don't grow in Midgar..." he said quietly, perplexed by the oddity of finding a plant in the dense city of eternal night. He put it in his pocket and walked down the alley to the grand street on the other side.

Cloud surveyed the street from left to right. This one was not as full of rioters as the ones a few blocks away. There was, however, a reason for that.

This street in the city of Midgar was cobblestone, much like the rest. It was different because it was in a poorer section of town. Assorted scum wandered the sidewalks, including derelicts, bums, druggies, and con-men of all sorts. The buildings were crumbling, and the once colorful advertisements were worn away by the heavy pollution. 

_Why would such a beautiful woman like that flower girl be in this part of town?_ Cloud asked himself. 

He crossed the street devoid of traffic, being careful not to make eye contact with any of the passerby. Some of them sneered at him or spit as his shoes, but he decided not to unveil his massive sword for fear of attracting unwanted attention. His only comebacks were dirty looks or low mumbles.

Cloud walked onto the sidewalk on the side of the street. He kicked an empty can against a wall, creating a loud empty metal clanging sound. The can rolled back onto the cobblestone street and perched itself over a sewer drain. It then proceeded to tumble down into the gushing river of sewage beneath the street, making a plunking sound in the liquid as its fate was sealed. 

The spiky-haired rebel walked up to a waist-high wall and rested his elbows upon it. He looked over the edge of the wall and saw railroad tracks stretching out of a tunnel beneath the street. Somewhere from deep in the city came the rumbling of underground-bound train heading towards the slums. 

Cloud looked out against the vast city scape before him. "Dammit!" he yelled, the lonesome whistle of the train triggering a memory. "I was supposed to meet Barret at the Sector Eight Station awhile ago!" 

He pounded a closed fist on the concrete wall and looked out at the streams of infinite ash and soot pouring into the sky above. The dreary sight of Midgar left a small impression on Cloud's otherwise emotionless soul. He felt somewhat empty.

The blonde rebel perched his elbow on the wall and held his chin in his hand. He pondered the meaning of his emotional breakdown in the pit of the reactor building, and the strange vision of the black-caped man back in the alley. He pondered the meaning of the mental images and sounds. They all pointed to one man.

_How could Sephiroth return?_ he thought to himself. _Why would he be here?_

"Halt, rebel!" shouted a voice from somewhere behind him.

Cloud whirled around and saw six blue-clad soldiers approaching him. Each one carried a semi-automatic rifle and was dressed in thick, bullet-proof armor. Their faces were shielded by special helmets, and they carried several crowd control shields and other gadgets.

_Shinra soldiers..._

They formed a semi circle around the spiky-haired boy, closing him off from the rest of the street and backing him against the wall. They readied their rifles and aimed them at him, ready to shoot at the slightest movement.__

__Cloud reached behind his back, his hand under his cloak and on the handle of his massive sword. With one quick movement, he withdrew the awesome blade, ripping the cloak in half and casting it in shreds to the ground. He held it in a defensive position, ready to ward off any soldiers that might come within range of his heavy weapon.

"That's as far as you go, rebel," said the soldier directly facing Cloud. He guessed it was a sergeant from the chevron on his sleeve. He smiled, seeming to taunt the half-dozen troops that had him surrounded. 

"You're under arrest for destruction of government property!" said another soldier.

The lonesome whistle Cloud had heard earlier grew ever closer. The rumbling grew louder, and the constant chugging of an engine was imminent.

"Whatever," said the blonde-haired rebel. 

"Drop your weapon!" said another trooper.

_Just a few more seconds..._ thought Cloud.

"Now!" shouted the sergeant. "We're not playing around."

The cobblestone pavement shook from the train rumbling past underneath. 

"That's right," said Cloud. "We're not."

A thick blast of smoke erupted from underneath the bridge as the train emerged. It blurred the vision of the six Shinra soldiers and forced them to cough the ash from their lungs. They dropped their rifles and tried to shake the dirt from their helmets.

The spiky-haired warrior that had been in front of them moments before was now gone.

"Where'd he go?" asked the sergeant.

"He must've run off into the streets!" said another soldier.

"Find him!" said the leader. He waved his hand, and the troops spread out in every direction.

Below the bridge where the confrontation had just taken place, the massive Sector Eight train was carrying one extra passenger on a cargo container roof. Cloud held tightly onto a metal bar protruding from a cargo car. He had leapt off of the bridge when the train had come, covering his own escape with the smoke.

The long train went into a tunnel. It began its slow descent downward into the slums beneath the great floating plate of Midgar. Cloud watched as the brilliant lights of the city vanished.

The train snaked onward through a cold, concrete tunnel. The tunnel itself was wrapped around a tall column that supported the middle of the Midgar city disk, giving it the appearance of a massive screw. 

Inside metal cargo car on the train, boxes were scattered across the floor, as well as stacked against the walls and in the corners. A low light came from an old lamp set in the center of the railroad car. Huddled around the light source were the quiet forms of Wedge, Jessie, Biggs, and Barret. 

The gun armed man was resting his elbow on a cargo crate, staring off into infinity with narrow eyes. Wedge, Biggs, and Jessie sat around the lamp, staring at his back. They waited for him to say something, but nothing came from his mouth.

Wedge fidgeted as he looked at the floor. "Cloud never came..." he murmured to Biggs.

The other man turned and looked at him shyly. "Cloud... I wonder if he was killed?" asked the skinny rebel. 

"No," said Barret coldly. "A few military police wouldn't stop him and that sword of his."

The atmosphere of the rail car fell silent. Wedge and Biggs glanced at each other, then back at Barret.

"Cloud..." whispered Jessie.

The silence was broken by a loud thumping noise on the car roof. No one bothered to look up, or wonder what it possibly could be. The train continued onward, along with the deathly silence.

"Say," said Biggs, breaking the quiet after several minutes, "do you think Cloud's... going to fight to the end for AVALANCHE?"

Barret whirled around and shook his fist in the skinny rebel's face. His eyes grew narrow and his voice deepened. "How the hell should I know? Do I look like a mind reader?" He turned around and stomped across the floor. He walked up to a particularly large crate and sized it up. Bearing his teeth, he brought his foot back and then released it with all his might. It connected with the box and set it flying end over end through the railroad car. It crashed and shattered amongst other cargo boxes, with splinters flying everywhere. "Hmph! If y'all weren't such screw- ups!"

Barret stood still and crossed his arms, staring at the far wall of the railroad car. He growled under his breath, closing his eyes. The silence removed, and the other passengers continued to keep their mouths shut.

After several more moments of a lack of noise, Wedge opened his mouth. "Hey Barret, what about our money...?"

The three other passengers heard the clicking sound of the machine gun on Barret's arm. 

"Uh, nuthin'... sorry..."

Before silence could resume again, there came a knocking on the side door of the cargo car. The four passengers turned their head and stared at the grey sliding panel that sealed the container.

With a loud whooshing sound, the door opened wide. In a quick blur, a blonde-haired, sword-toting boy jumped in and landed on the deck. He then jumped up and turned around. He sealed the door and looked at the four passengers. They jumped up and rushed over to meet him.

"Cloud!" shouted Biggs.

"Cloud..." said Jessie.

"Cloud!" exclaimed Wedge.

The spiky-haired boy surveyed the four passengers, then looked directly at Barret. "Sorry I'm late. I got caught up," he said quietly. 

Barret beared his teeth and shook his fist. "You damn right, you're late!" The large man brought his face closer to the slightly shorter rebel. "You come waltin' in here makin' a big scene!"

"I said I got caught up," replied Cloud calmly. "You're lucky I made it. You'll need me on future missions."

Barret's eyes bulged out of his sockets. The other passengers took a step back. Obviously, Cloud had not experienced one of the gun-armed man's gigantic rages. 

"You ain't so tough kid!" said the large dark-skinned man. "I could take you out easily."

"Yes, but you won't."

Instantly, the three passengers heard the click of Barret's machine gun. He raised his arm and pointed his deadly appendage at the young rebel's head. Cloud did not budge or blink. He simply stood still and stared down the barrel of the huge gun.

The corner of Barret's mouth peeled up, revealing his teeth and betraying his anger. A nervous twitch developed in his eye. The other passengers waited for the machine gun barrel to spin and Cloud's brains to be splattered across the floor.

Slowly and reluctantly, the large gun-armed man lowered his massive weapon. His angry sneer and his twitching eyebrow receded. Wedge, Jessie, and Biggs let out a sigh relief as Barret's gun dropped to his side. He turned around and walked towards the door at the end of the rail car.

"Any more smart-ass stunts like that and I _will_ blow your brains out," said Barret, "whether you're good or not!"

Without a further word, he opened the door and walked into the next car, leaving yet another eerie silence in the air.

Wedge turned to face the spiky-haired rebel. "Hey, Cloud, you were pretty good back there with that scorpion robot!" said the heavyset man. 

"Yeah!" added Biggs. "We'll do even better next time!"

The two turned around and walked towards the door of the railroad car. They opened it and walked into the next car, leaving Jessie and Cloud alone.

The young woman turned and looked at the blonde-haired warrior. "Don't worry about Barret," she said. "As the leader of AVALANCHE, he thinks he's just about the best guerilla fighter around. Today you obviously showed him up when you took out that giant scorpion thingy. He isn't especially happy about you being involved with SOLDIER and Shinra. Eventually, he'll get over it and realize that he needs you on the team if we're gonna beat them."

Cloud nodded, his face rigid and emotionless. 

"You don't say too much, do you buddy?" she asked.

"I only say things when I have to," he said coldly.

Jessie smiled. She closed her eyes and threw her head back, then began to laugh. "Jeez, kid," she said in between the bursts of howling. "Lighten up!" 

Cloud made no attempt to change his stone-cold expression.

Slowly she stopped her chuckling and looked at the boy in the face. "Hey, you're covered in soot!" She withdrew a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped the black film from the young rebel's face, then put it back in her pocket. 

"Well, thanks anyway for helping me back at the reactor," she said, sensing a failed attempt to bring any smile to Cloud's face. "Let's go see what Barret's up to." She turned around and opened the door to the cargo car, and headed into the next room.

Cloud followed, wiping the soot from his hair.

  
  


The passenger car was just about the same size as the box car that trailed behind it. It was, however, slightly more attractive than its cargo-hauling companion. It had a maroon paint on the exterior, along with a dozen windows that were less than clear. Inside the car were faded blue seats on either side of the wall, separated by the occasional brass pole or hanging handgrip for passenger support. The lighting was supplied by four dying yellow lights on the ceiling. 

Several passengers were on the seats, either asleep or drifting in and out of consciousness. One was a bum, covered by the Midgar Times and a mass of facial stubble. Another one was a business man, complete with a blue suit, a briefcase, and thick glasses. 

The door to the passenger car swung open, and Barret walked in with a new jacket to conceal his machine gun in public. Wedge, Biggs, and Jessie followed him. Together, they sat down at the end of the car near the door. 

The business man at the other end looked up from his dreary stare at the floor. He saw the four strange people near the door chatting about something. He stood up and shifted his glasses, then turned and headed for the door to the next passenger compartment. _Hoo-boy... This is why I hate the last train..._ he thought to himself as he opened the door and walked out.

Cloud walked through the door and surveyed the surroundings. He surveyed the bum asleep on the blue seats, covered by yesterday's newspaper. He turned and looked out the window as Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge spread themselves throughout the car, each looking at a different point of interest.

"Last train out of Sector Eight Station," said a voice over an intercom. "Last stop is Sector Seven, Train Graveyard. Expected time of arrival is 12:23 A.M., Midgar standard time."

Barret looked up at Cloud, who's attention was drawn by the view outside the window of the car. His face scrunched up into a scowl. "Stop actin' like a damn kid! Si' the hell down!"

Cloud ignored him and continued to walk towards the other end of the car. Wedge and Biggs were sitting across from each other, engaged in a conversation.

"It seems the train hasn't changed to security mode yet," said Biggs.

"That'll change by tomorrow morning," said Wedge.

The spiky haired rebel shook his hair and continued onward towards the other end of the car. He knew well that Shinra did not waste time. AVALANCHE members would not be able to take the train tomorrow without risking getting caught by troops. 

"Hey, Cloud," said Jessie. He turned and saw her standing next to a computer monitor built into the wall of the train. She motioned for him to come closer and smiled. Cloud nodded and approached her slowly. "Are you familiar with the way Midgar is designed?" she asked.

"No," he said coldly. "I was just given enough information about the city so we could knock out that reactor."

Jessie nodded. "Well, you've obviously proved your loyalty," she said. "I think we can show you how the whole city works. That way, when you're on a mission in the future, you'll be able to navigate the city if you lose us."

Cloud said nothing. He simply stared at the computer screen.

"This is a map of the Midgar Railway System," she began. She pressed several buttons on a keyboard in front of the monitor. A large, 3-D wire-frame model of the city appeared on the screen. The model was shaped like a massive disk with eight supports around the rim and one central support in the center.

"This is about a 1/10000 scale model," said Jessie. "As you can see, the main skyscrapers and office buildings of the city are on the top part of the disk." She pointed to the wire-frame disk on the screen. "The giant disk is held up by eight large pillars arranged in a circle on the edge. There's also one huge support pillar in the middle of the disk. This train is now traveling around that pillar. Below the disk are the slums. The slums used to be a beautiful city, until they were torn down to make way for the disk above them. Now the slums are just dwellings for poor people who have to live under scraps of twisted metal."

She turned to Cloud, who remained locked on the screen with his steel blue eyes. She turned back to the monitor and continued. "Because Midgar is so big, it was divided into eight sector. Think of it like a giant pizza. Each sector is like a gargantuan slice of pizza that stretches from the center of the city to the edge. Each slice, or sector, has its own number, reactor, and support pillar to hold up the disk."

_A giant rotting pizza..._ thought Cloud.

"Anyway, the train is headed for Sector 7 of the slums. The sectors above and below the disk correspond with the same number, so it isn't that confusing."

Jessie was cut off from speaking further by a loud siren. She covered her ears, and a red light began to flash in the railroad car. Cloud looked around, dismayed by the siren that had gone off spontaneously. It continued for several seconds, then it stopped. The red light disappeared, and the noise shut down.

"That was the security system," said Jessie. "All the trains in Midgar pass through checkpoints every so often. We use fake ideas to bypass them. But if we ever got caught without them, the main Midgar computer would shut the train down and soldiers would pour in here to take us out." She pushed a button to turn off the display screen, then smiled at Cloud. He nodded and turned away, looking at Barret.

Cloud walked across the railway car and joined the large gun-armed man who was staring out the window. As the train spiraled around the support column of Midgar, the passengers could see out onto the vast slums below the great plate. 

  
  


For several miles, Cloud could see the twisted wreckage of the forgotten city beneath the plate. He saw crumbling buildings, old wooden shacks, gargantuan piles of debris, small fires lit in the distance, and even what appeared to be a train graveyard.

"That's the surface of the slums," said Barret. "Ya can see all the way out to the edge of the city from here. It's miles and miles of garbage and twisted metal. It's no way for people to live. If that damn plate wasn't up there, we could see the sun and everythin' would be fine..."

Cloud nodded vaguely. He looked up at the bottom of the disk. "A floating city... pretty unsettling scenery..." 

Barret looked at the spiky-haired boy with an odd glance. He turned back to look out the window. "The upper world is a city on a plate. It's cause of that freakin 'pizza' that everyone down here in the slums is sufferin'! Smoke and fumes come out of the homes of the people down here, and it gets trapped beneath the disk. It's like a death trap. On top of that, all the reactors drain the energy."

"Why doesn't everyone move onto the plate?" asked Cloud.

"Probably cause they ain't got money..." said Barret. "Or else, they love their land, and they'll stay with it to the bitter end."

Cloud nodded. _No one lives in the slums because they want to... It's like this train that can only go where its rails allow it..._

The train continued to spiral around the main support pillar of Midgar, heading towards the slums far below.

  
  


Deep in the heart of Sector 7 was Midgar's train graveyard. It was a place devoid of life, save for the occasional rats and insects that called the twisted freight cars their homes. The graveyard was home to the hundreds of trains that had expired in their usefulness after serving their many years on the Midgar Railroad. Many ghosts of people that rode the rails in years past were said to live in the graveyard, but no one was ever brave enough to venture in to find out for themselves.

Near the edge of the graveyard of trains was a simple railway station. It was little more than a cement platform protruding from the ground that was illuminated by several street lights. Several railroad ties lay strewn around the platform, suggesting that the maintenance crews were either quite lazy or nonexistant.

A heavy, black engine rumbled up to the train platform. The bright light adorning its front shone through the dismal area. The engine slowed to a halt alongside the concrete platform. A blast of steam shot out from under the wheels. 

The doors of the passenger cars opened, and several businessmen shuffled out. Most of them were returning from night shifts to their dwellings in the slums. Others were coming home from an evening of drinks from the bars on the city above.

After all the other passengers had left the train, Cloud, Jessie, Biggs, Wedge, and Barret filed out. They huddled together near the edge of the platform and made sure that the businessmen were not watching.

Barret looked deep into the eyes of the four other rebels that surrounded him. "This mission was a success," he said. "But don't get lazy now!" A scowl crossed his face. He slammed his gun arm down on his open palm in a gesture to attain attention. "The hard part is still to come. Don't ya'll be scared of that explosion, cause the next one is gonna be even bigger!"

He turned around and began to walk off the platform. "Everyone meet back at the hideout by oh six hundred," he said. "Move out, and don't arouse suspicion."

The other rebels nodded and stepped off the platform, leaving Cloud alone. They walked to their right, heading down what appeared to be a street. It was surrounded on both sides by immense piles of scrap metal and steel girders. Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge spread out and headed into different paths in the junk piles. 

Cloud pulled his brown cowl over his head and upper body in order to conceal his face and sword. _I might find someone I'm not exactly looking for down here..._ he thought. Quietly, he headed down the street of garbage.

  
  


Far away from the Sector 7 Graveyard was the very edge of the city of Midgar. The slums were separated from the wilds beyond by a thick, transparent barrier several meters in height. The only change in the structure of the barrier was the eight doors that provided access to the city of darkness. Directly above the massive wall was the expansive floating city that was little by little expanding beyond the barrier.

Two blue-clad security troopers stood inside the city near the great barrier. Each one carried a standard-issue Shinra rifle strapped over their shoulders. The younger of the soldiers was fidgeting and shifting from foot to foot. The other soldier remained calm and scratched his helmeted heads as he stared at a perfect circular hole cut through the two-foot thick wall. 

"What could possibly do this?" asked one of the troopers.

"I have no idea, Sergeant," said the second. "HQ just sent us here to see if there's any evidence." The underling looked around the surrounding area, but could see nothing. Not even the glass that fit in the hole was present. There was no dust or shattered debris of any sort. The cut was immaculate. 

"I can't see anything around here," said the sergeant. "It may have been a vehicle of some sort."

"I don't think so, Sarge," said the other soldier. "There would have been tire tracks. If it was some sort of hover vehicle, it would have blown the dust around or something. Plus, we would have seen it coming before it even got to the city."

"That's true," said the sergeant. "But how could someone cut a hole through this thick wall and leave no debris or evidence."

"I don't know," said the underling. "We should probably radio headquarters and tell them to be on the lookout for suspicious characters..."

Without a word, the sergeant reached down to his belt and detached a hand-held radio. He brought it up to his mouth and began to push in the button.

_Thwack!_

A silver flash arced across the sergeant's neck. His head rolled from his shoulders and fell to the ground along with his radio. 

Not bothering to hesitate, the younger soldier let loose with a burst from his rifle. He spun 360 degrees, firing in every direction. He stopped shooting only when his cartridge ran out of ammunition. 

There were no other bodies on the ground besides the sergeant's. The trooper had hit nothing but thin air and several garbage piles far away.

Too scared to reload his weapon, the soldier stood motionless next to the gaping hole in the wall. His eyes darted back and forth. His blood pressure increased rapidly, along with his breathing. He waited for something to move.

The next noise the soldier heard was the gruesome sound of a long, sharp blade puncturing the flesh of a human body. He dropped his rifle with a clatter and looked down. A six-foot long blade extended from his abdomen and was covered with blood. He felt a deep, cold pain in his stomach as all six feet of the long blade were pulled out of his back. He reached down to feel the gaping hole in his mid-section. Without a further word, the trooper collapsed to the ground with a grunt.

Two piercing aqua-colored eyes stared down at the remains of the two soldiers. The man who owned those eyes, Sephiroth, returned his massive blade to his sheath and brushed his hair from his eyes.

"They're getting lax since my day..." he said to himself.

Slowly, the black clad man walked away from the gaping hole in the wall and disappeared in the thick maze of scrap metal of the slums.

  
  


A long, winding path seemed to snake endlessly through the monstrous piles of twisted steel and garbage. Rats and other vermin scurried from pile to pile while other people picked through various pieces of sheet metal in order to find a solid one to pawn off. Several large construction vehicles were buried under the heaps of rubbish, never again to move or tear apart the great mountains of debris

A faint illumination came from the artificial lamps built into the bottom of the upper plate, and they cast a greenish hue down upon the miles of rubble below. Cloud walked between the endless trash with his cowl over his visage. He held his gaze down on the ground as he walked along. He did not want to make eye contact with anyone he did not trust. 

About a half mile from where he currently stood, Cloud could see the massive pillar that held up Sector Seven of the massive Midgar Plate. It was, perhaps, the most symbolic structure in all of the slums because of its height and mass. A mesh staircase wrapped around the great pillar and ended at a control station halfway between the ground and the upper plate. 

Cloud stopped looking at the pillar and began to walk forward. Suddenly, vision became hazier. He blinked several times, but the piles of metal seemed to blend together. The path he traveled along seemed to be overrun with mice and rats. Slowly but surely, the plate above and the ground below became meshed together. He looked forward at the massive pillar that was not too far away.

With a brilliant flash of white light, the piles of debris and rubble disappeared. The plate and the ground vanished in a flash and were replaced with an empty, black void. The great Sector One pillar began to change shape. 

Instead of the massive column, Cloud saw a tall man wearing a black cloak. He had long, silvery hair with piercing aqua eyes. He carried a six-foot long sword. 

Cloud fell to his knees. An intense screeching noise filled his head. He grabbed his ears and looked upward.

"Sephiroth..." mumbled Cloud. 

As soon as he spoke, a wind picked up. Sephiroth's hair blew in the wind and whipped about his face. He turned around and began to walk away. 

Instantly, a red blaze erupted around the black-cloaked man. It enveloped him as he continued walking onward. 

"I'm here, Cloud," said Sephiroth's menacing voice. "We'll see each other soon..."

_Sephiroth..._

The vision of Sephiroth vanished, along with the wall of flame and the wind. Cloud opened his eyes and saw the familiar setting of the great garbage piled around him. He realized that his pulse was beating rapidly and he was gasping for air. 

He held out his arm and looked down at it. There appeared to be several burn marks on his forearm and biceps.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked himself out loud.

"Hey buddy," said a strange voice. "Are you alright?"

Cloud blinked, then looked to his right. A man in shabby clothing stood by a chain-link fence. He had a mustache and a worn out baseball cap on his head. Behind the fence was the enormous Sector Seven pillar that stretched high above to the massive Midgar plate.

Again, Cloud shook his head to clear the last shards of the strange vision from his head. "Uh, yeah..." he said to the man with the baseball cap.

"Say, did you hear about the bombing up top?" asked the man.

"No..." said Cloud as he stood up and regained his cold composure.

"Yeah, just a few hours ago some rebels snuck into the Number One reactor and planted a bomb," said the man. "Blew the whole thing sky high! Thank God the pillar there didn't come down! The whole slums would'a been dust!"

Cloud looked around and raised an eyebrow.

"Well, we would'a all died at any rate," said the man. He surveyed Cloud with a more careful view than at first. He noticed the odd scars on his arms and the cloak concealing his eyes. "You ain't from around here, are ya, bro?"

"No," said Cloud coldly.

"That's okay," said the man. "Nobody cares 'bout nobody else down here. Your business is your business. We got our own asses to look after down here!"

The spiky haired rebel nodded.

"Well bro, I'm off," said the man. "I gotta finish doin' nothin'." He turned and walked down the path Cloud had just traveled.

The rebel shook his head and looked down the continuing path. 

_I'd better hurry if I'm going to make it back to headquarters... Hope I can find my way..._

He started off, keeping the cowl over his face.

  
  


A few blocks away from the pillar stood a makeshift town in the heart of the slums. It had the appearance of a ramshackle western town, with several dilapidated wooden buildings stood in a row next to each other, along with a row opposite the string of shacks. Even a few of the heavier pieces of scrap had been welded together to form rickety sheds for poor people to dwell in.

In the middle of this crumbling dump stood a gathering place for the depressed dwellers of 

this part of the endless junkyard. It was known as the Seventh Heaven, the classiest dump in all of Sector Seven. From the outside it was little more than a wooden shed with a front porch. However, the inside was a breeding ground for all kinds seedy characters. 

Seventh Heaven passed as the neighborhood bar. Its owner was able to brag that the best drinks in town were served there, even if it was the only bar in town. The food was also rumored to be pretty tasty. 

Inside the Seventh Heaven, a dozen people sat around tables and the bar with their drinks. Even at this late hour, people were still boozing up and chowing down. 

_What a gold mine..._ thought the owner as she stood behind the bar, watching her customers struggle to stay awake. She had a tomboyish look about her and was about a medium height, and she had long black hair which was put in a ponytail down to the small of her back. She wore a white tank top that was cut above her navel, and she wore a black miniskirt. Over her hands she wore thick red gloves with metal studs on the knuckles, and she wore brown climbing boots on her feet. Her eyes were a deep brown, and her lips were ruby red.

"Hey... Tifa..." said a drunken voice.

The woman shook her head and looked down. She continued cleaning a beer glass as she frowned upon a wino with his face buried in the bar. 

"What do you want Ralph?" asked Tifa.

"Gimme another beer will ya?" asked the man. His words seemed to blend together.

"How can you drink something when you can't even pick your face off my bar?" asked Tifa.

"Aw, come on..." said the drunkard.

Tifa smiled. "Well, it doesn't matter to me whether you can drink it or not," she said with a hearty laugh. "How bout this? If you can flop the money on the table I'll give you the beer and you can do whatever you want with it."

The drunken man groaned, and he lifted his face off the bar. He looked deep into Tifa's eyes with his own sagged eyes and smiled. He reached into his pocket and pulled out several coins, then dropped them on the bar.

Tifa smiled. She slid the coins off the bar and into her hand, then deposited them in a nearby cash register. She closed the drawer, then picked up a mug from a nearby shelf. She walked over to a tap and placed the glass below it. She turned back to the drunkard and smiled as she began to pour the rich frosty beer into the mug. Once it was full, she slid it down the bar to his waiting grip.

"Thanks..." he mumbled.

Tifa nodded. She held up her arm and looked at her wristwatch, which read 2:21 a.m. She glanced at the door to the room. A nervous expression crossed her face as she placed her hands on her hips and began to tap her foot.

_Where are they...?_ Tifa wondered as she turned around and picked up a rag.

A burst of gunfire erupted outside the bar. The deafening noise traveled inside and woke up most of Tifa's patrons. They turned and looked at the door.

A large, dark-skinned man stood in the door frame. He wore a brown jacket with no sleeves, and he had a menacing Gatling gun where his right hand should be. His face was twisted up into a nasty scowl.

Most of the customers had been rudely awakened by Barret's salvo of machine gun fire. They were already slowly sliding off of their stools and chairs and heading towards the exit. Most of them left their mugs empty or half full on their table.

Barret growled as he held open the western-style swing doors for the drunken patrons. They cast their glances at the floor as they walked outside, for most did not want to test his fatal temper or his lethal machine-gun hand.

Once all the patrons had vacated the Seventh Heaven, Barret looked inside again to see if the coast was clear. He turned back to the dusty street and raised two fingers to his mouth. Loudly, he let out a whistle and waved his other arm to a group of people huddled behind the shadow of a building across the street.

Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge dashed across the dusty road to the steps leading up to the bar. Barret waved them inside, then turned around and looked down the far end of the street towards the Sector Seven pillar. 

"Damn!" shouted Barret. "Where the hell is that kid?"

After several minutes of scanning the street, Barret finally saw a lone figure coming from the direction of the giant pillar. His face and body were concealed by a dark hood, and a sword handle protruded from his back. The figure approached the steps of the bar and threw back his hood, revealing spiky blonde hair and deep blue eyes.

"Cloud, where the hell were you?" asked the gun-armed man.

The spiky-haired rebel narrowed his gaze at the door. "I got lost..." he said coldly.

Barret's eyes bulged. "What the hell do you mean you got lost?" he asked with a growling tone of voice. 

"I got lost," replied Cloud. "Didn't you hear me?"

"Were you followed?" asked Barret.

"No."

The large, gun-armed man closed his eyes and grunted in frustration. He turned around and gestured towards the door that led into the bar. "Everyone else is in there," he said. "Go in and we'll get started."

Cloud ascended the steps wordlessly and walked into the bar. Barret followed closely behind him with his machine gun loaded. He still did not trust the former SOLDIER, even if he had destroyed the giant scorpion at the reactor. There was something odd about him, especially about his eyes...

The spiky-haired rebel paused several steps inside the bar. He looked around and noticed that all the patrons were gone. The only people that inhabited the place now where Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge. Satisfied that no one would be appalled by his enormous sword, Cloud removed his black cloak.

"Papa!" shouted a child's voice.

A small girl ran around from behind the bar. She was about three and a half feet high, and she wore a purple dress. Her eyes were blue, and she had a large smile on her face. 

"Marlene!" shouted Barret with a lack of gruffness in his voice.

The little girl dashed towards him and hopped into his open arms. He smiled as he scooped her up and held her tight. All at once, the scowl on his face seemed to melt into a warm hearted smile. He showed a deep concern for his young daughter, Marlene as he rocked her gently.

She gave Barret a kiss on the cheek, then turned around. She looked at the silent and motionless Cloud. The smile on her face faded away as she clutched onto Barret tighter and buried her face in his chest.

Cloud made no move to apologize or find out why the girl was upset. 

"Marlene!" said a woman's voice. "Aren't you going to say anything to Cloud?"

Cloud whirled around suddenly. He saw a tall woman with long black hair and a black miniskirt. She had on red gloves with metal studs on the knuckles.

"It's been awhile, Cloud Strife..." said Tifa.

The spiky-haired rebel locked his gaze on Tifa. His jaw hung open slightly. "Yes," he replied. "It has been."

Barret and Marlene remained wordless.

"Well, it looks like we got the right man for the job," said Tifa. "You guys apparently did a number on that reactor up there."

"Yeah, we worked together pretty well," said Barret.

The gun-armed man's comment broke Cloud out his long stare. The blue-eyed warrior turned to look at him. "Huh?"

"Yeah, we beat the hell out of the reactor guardian," said Barret. "You should'a seen it, Tifa! It was a huge scorpion robot with a tail laser and everything! But this guy here tore it to shreds with his big ass sword!"

Tifa smiled as she looked at Barret, then back at Cloud. "I take it you guys got along well then," she commented. "I have to admit I didn't think you would." She let out a laugh, then noticed Cloud was holding something in his hand. She looked at it more intently, and she noticed it was a flower. "Where did you get that, Cloud?" 

Cloud looked down, still recovering from being stunned at seeing Tifa. He finally noticed he had a flower in his hand. "Uhm..." he said. _When did I get this?_

"It's nice, Cloud," she replied, not giving him a chance to figure out where he had picked up the flower. "It's not often you see them down here in the slums."

Cloud shook his head to clear his mind. He turned and looked back at Barret and Marlene, who was still clutching him tightly. He walked over to the little girl and handed her the flower. She took it suspiciously, looked down at it with innocence, then jumped from Barret's arms and ran behind the bar. 

"Maybe I should fill the store with flowers," said Tifa halfheartedly as she watched Marlene dash back to the safety of the shelves of mugs. 

Tifa smiled, then looked back at Cloud. "Well, I'd better clean up the mess my customers made," she said. She turned around and headed behind the bar, then bent over and began washing several of the beer mugs.

Cloud slowly took a seat at one of the two wooden tables in the room while Barret sat at another table with Marlene. He sat next to Wedge and Biggs, who were already scarfing down huge portions of Tifa's cooking and washing it down with booze. 

The spiky-haired rebel gazed over at the portly Wedge. His face was covered in barbecue sauce from the ribs Tifa had prepared. He practically licked the succulent meat right off the white bones and gulped it down.

Wedge noticed that Cloud was staring at him. He looked at him and then extended his arm with the rib in his hand. "Want some?" he asked.

"No," said Cloud.

Wedge shook his head. "C'mon, ease up buddy," said the portly guerilla fighter. "We all gotta eat sometimes. Me, I eat a lot! Tifa lets me taste her cooking all the time. Now look at me! I'm amazed Barret doesn't whip me into shape!" He let out a hearty laugh and continued scarfing down the ribs.

Cloud turned his gaze back to Biggs, who had a mug full of beer in his hand. His eyes seemed to be glazed over, and he drifted on the edge of sleep. Slowly, he opened his eyes and noticed that the spiky haired rebel was staring at him.

"Nothin' like the first drink after a job..." said Biggs dreamily. "Hey, Cloud, why don't you have one too?" He hiccupped loudly and bobbed his head.

"Forget it," said Cloud.

Biggs slammed his mug down on the table and opened up his eyes a little. "What?" he said drunkenly. "You too good to drink with me? You think you're so big jus' cause you were in SOLDIER! Hah!" With his last laugh, Biggs let his head fall flat on the table.

At the table across the room, Barret looked up and saw that Biggs had just passed out. He beared his teeth and narrowed his eyes. "That's it!" he shouted. "Let's get the hell downstairs and get the next mission ready before you morons drink yourselves stupid."

The large, gun-toting man got up from his table and waved the other rebels over to a pinball machine in the corner. Barret stood in front of it, and Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge managed to drag themselves over. They huddled over the machine. 

Barret pressed a switch underneath the machine. With a loud groaning, a secret platform took the four rebels into a room below the bar, along with the pinball table.

Cloud still sat at the table alone, gazing into Biggs's half empty mug.

"Care for a drink, SOLDIER?" asked Tifa, who was still sitting behind the bar.

The spiky-haired rebel looked up and slowly walked over to the bar. He sat on a swivel stool and rested his elbows on the table. He kept his gaze down at the wooden table, not saying anything.

Tifa smiled coyly, then turned around to a mixing table behind the bar. She got a shot glass, then a bottle of some sort of sweet smelling liquid. She poured a little in, then got some other bottles and mixed the contents. Then she placed the shot glass on the bar and rested her elbows on the bar. She looked longingly at Cloud, who still would not look up.

"Drink up," she said.

_What the hell..._ thought Cloud. _Maybe it'll stop those nightmares..._ He grabbed the shot glass, picked it up, lifted it to his lips, then threw his head back and swallowed the contents. He placed the glass back on the counter and let out a long sigh as the alcohol numbed his nerves.

"You know," said Tifa, "I'm relieved you made it back in one piece."

"It was an easy job," said Cloud, still looking down at the bar.

"Yeah," she replied. "You were in SOLDIER. I guess that would make any job easy."

_Not the one job..._ he thought.

"It has been a long time, huh, Cloud?" she asked. 

He nodded.

"Who would've known that Cloud Strife of Nibelheim would join SOLDIER, then meet up with his old childhood buddy when she decided to overthrow Shinra?" said Tifa.

Cloud said nothing.

Tifa shook her head. She slowly lifted herself up from the bar and turned around. "Well, I guess you'd better ask Barret for your pay..." she said.

Cloud lifted his head up and looked at the pinball machine in the corner. "Yeah," he said. "Once I get that money, I'm outta here..." He lifted himself off the bar stool, then walked over to the machine. He stood in front of it, then flipped the lever underneath and let the lift take him down to the room below.

Tifa cleaned the shot glass that he had just drank from. "Oh, Cloud..." she said halfheartedly.

Below the main floor of the Seventh Heaven was a cross between a recreational room, a gym, and a high-tech war command center. In the center of the room was a table full of papers and blueprints. Wedge and Biggs sat across from each other, and they were playing some sort of card game. In the corner, Barret was punching a heavy bag with a nasty sneer on his face. In another corner was a large television set. In another corner, Marlene sat on a cardboard box. Jessie sat at a computer, punching away at the keyboard. Above the computer was a red flag with a white skull and crossbones.

Cloud stood still as the pinball elevator took him safely down to the ground. He stepped off and looked at the others scattered about the room. The only one who was really doing any work was Jessie.

The spiky-haired rebel listened to the television set above the din of the room. "...today, the Number One Reactor of Midgar was bombed by a group of terrorists known as Avalanche," said a tall man with thick glasses on the screen. "Many deaths in the surrounding Sector One were caused by this act of foolishness. President Shinra has already issued a decree for the deaths of any Avalanche members, and he has sent patrols around the city in order to find them. Justice shall be served!" 

Cloud decided to stop listening as the reporter poured out propaganda profusely. "What a blast," said Jessie as she looked at the video shots of the reactor explosion. "That bomb was only supposed to blow up the reactor... Not other people..."

"Don't worry Jessie," said Wedge, momentarily looking up from his card game. "Most of the people who live up on the plate are part of Shinra. Think of the other deaths as bonus points!"

"Pipe down, tubby," said Biggs as he laid several cards on the table. "Don't get too excited about the next mission! We gotta keep calm under pressure."

Wedge shook his head and laid another card down at the table, then smiled at Biggs. Confident he that had made a good move, he turned around and looked at Cloud, who was looking at Jessie's computer screen.

"How 'bout you, Cloud?" asked the portly rebel. "You ever get nervous in battle?"

Cloud said nothing.

"Guess that means no..."

"Hah!" shouted Biggs. "You lost!"

Wedge turned around to see Biggs's winning hand that had just been laid down on the table. "Son of a..." said the portly rebel.

Barret wound up and cracked the bag several times. Cloud looked at him, and then crossed the room to watch his pummeling blows. Each time the gun-toting rebel hit it, it lurched violently and began to swing.

"So, Cloud," said Barret between punches, "I wanted to ask you something."

Cloud looked at him. Barret stopped slugging the bag.

"Was there anyone from SOLDIER fighting against us today?" he asked.

"None," said Cloud with an icy coldness. "I'm positive."

Barret shifted an eyebrow as he drew himself closer to the spiky-haired rebel. "You seem pretty sure..."

"If there was anyone in SOLDIER at that reactor," he replied, "none of us would be standing here right now." Cloud retained his granite expression, confident in the abilities of his former comrades.

Barret clenched his fist and let out a low growl. "Don't think you're so bad jes cuz you were in SOLDIER!" He turned around and slammed his fist into the bag. He took a step back and then released a salvo of firepower from his gun arm into it. Sand poured out from the bullet holes and collected in piles on the floor. He spun back around and looked at Cloud, waving his cannon arm menacingly as smoke wisped out of the barrels. "Yeah, you are strong. You bet the hell out of that robot effortlessly. Probably all the guys in SOLDIER could do that. But don't forget, your skinny ass is workin' for me now! Don't get no ideas about stayin' on the Shinra plan!"

Cloud kept his face expressionless. "Shinra?" he asked. "You asked a question and I answered it for you." He turned around and headed for the pinball table. "I'll be upstairs waiting for my payment."

Barret growled, then turned around and shot the limp remains of the bag with his cannon. "Mercenary bastard..." 

Cloud approached the elevator shaft, only to find the pinball table descending. Standing on the platform was a forlorn Tifa. She looked deep into his eyes as she stepped off of the lift. "Don't go, Cloud..."

"Let him go, Tifa," said Barret from the corner as he picked up the remains of his punching bag. "Looks like he still misses the Shinra!"

Cloud did not even bother to shoot a look back at the gun-toting man. He pushed Tifa aside and stepped onto the lift. He looked back at the other rebels. "I don't really care about Shinra or SOLDIER," he said coldly. "But don't get me wrong, because I don't really care about Avalanche or the planet for that matter."

Still maintaining the stone expression on his face, Cloud reached under the pinball table and flipped a switch. The elevator began to slowly ascend to the bar room above. Slowly, Cloud's face elevated out of sight.

Wedge shook his head as he dropped his remaining cards in frustration. "Real cold blooded." 

  
  


The bar room above was still empty and left in its general disarray. Wedge's half-eaten ribs lay on the plate in a puddle of barbecue sauce, and Biggs's beer was still not cleaned up. The neon sign hummed in the mirror above the bar. 

The pinball elevator grinded to a halt as it emerged from the Avalanche War Room below. Cloud stepped off of the elevator and took one last look around the room, then decided to sit down on a bar stool and wait for Barret to arrive with his money.

He rested his elbows on the bar and slowly closed his eyes. He opened them again, then looked at an empty beer mug next to his left arm. He picked it up and looked at it thoughtfully. He gazed back at his hollow, stone-faced reflection. His blue eyes shined back at him, penetrating into his own soul.

_As soon as I'm out of here..._ __

_Well... what?_

Cloud continued staring into the glass. What would he do once he left the bar? He had already left SOLDIER. Perhaps there was a mercenary group out there that would pay him even better than he got now.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as the pinball elevator rose from the war room again. Tifa stood alone on the platform with a sorrowful expression on her face. Cloud swivelled on the stool to face her, then got off and began to head for the door.

Tifa immediately began to walk after him. "Listen, Cloud," she said to his back, "I'm _begging _you to join us!"

The spiky-haired rebel continued walking towards the flimsy swing-doors. "Sorry, Tifa..." he said with a cold voice.

"The planet is dying!" she shouted desperately. "Slowly but surely, it's dying. Someone has to help it!"

Cloud walked up to the exit and placed his hand on one of the doors, pushing it open. He turned halfway around and looked at Tifa. "So let Barret and his buddies do something about it," he said. "I don't really care."

He took a step forward. Tifa narrowed her gaze and a frown crossed her face. "You're really going to leave me standing here when we're so close to saving the world? You're really going to walk out on your childhood friend?"

Cloud stopped. Tifa felt a chill down her spine, as if he would turn on her any second, but she pressed on.

"You forgot the promise, too," she said.

Cloud said nothing. Tifa walked up to him and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"It was seven years ago... Don't you remember?"

"I forgot a lot of things over the years..."

"Just wait a second..."

  
  


The night air in Nibelheim was crisp and cool. Billions of stars dotted the deep, hazy sky. They seemed to spread on forever and ever, from horizon to horizon. The only break in their tedium was a brilliant full moon that seemed to cast a warm glow down upon the sleepy town. 

Nibelheim was a very old village, far away from Midgar. Settled at the foot of Mt. Nibel, the town consisted of half a dozen or so old wooden houses arranged in a ring, a grand mansion, and a tall water tower in the center of it all. It was surrounded by fields of green, tall lucious trees, and full of fresh and clean air. The inhabitants of the town, though few in number, were extremely friendly and used to the simple life.

As the night wore on in town, a young boy sat high atop the water tower. He was sitting near the edge of the wooden structure, with his feet dangling over the edge. He stared down at the ground, which was darkened by the night sky. He had tall, spiked hair with a blond hue. His eyes were a deep blue, and he wore a black shirt with green shorts. 

Slowly, he raised his head and looked at the far horizon. Somewhere, across the great ocean lied the great metropolis of Midgar. He yearned to leave this tired old village and head to the great city, to start a new life...

"Cloud?" said a voice from somewhere nearby.

The young boy's ears perked up as he turned to his left. Walking along the edge of the tower was a beautiful young girl with long, black hair down to her hips. She wore a blue dress and sneakers for climbing. 

"Tifa," replied Cloud.

"Sorry I'm late," she said. She smiled longingly at Cloud, and her deep brown eyes warmed his heart. He quickly forgave her for her tardiness, and waved for her to come closer and sit next to him.

"So what did you want to drag me up here and tell me?" she asked him as she sat down next to him and hung her legs over the edge of the tower.

Cloud nodded, and gently grasped her hand. He turned his head back to the horizon. "Well, this spring, I've decided to leave town for Midgar," he said.

Tifa felt the warmth of his hand, but the feelings inside her were wiped clean by Cloud's news. "All the boys are leaving town..." she said as she looked at the horizon.

He turned his head and looked deep into her eyes. "But I'm not like all the boys," he replied. "I'm not just going to find a job." He released his grip on her hand, then stood up and looked out at the horizon again. She looked at him with an inquisitive expression. "I'm going to join SOLDIER."

He looked up at the water tank on top of the platform he stood on. He climbed the tank and stood at the top, then gazed out at what must be Midgar, far away. "I'm going to be the best there is!" he declared loudly, not caring if the neighbors woke up. "Just like Sephiroth!"

"The Great Sephiroth..." murmured Tifa as she stared out at the distant city beyond her sight. She continued swinging her legs, then looked up at Cloud. "Isn't it really hard to get into SOLDIER?" she asked.

Cloud stopped gazing at the horizon, then looked down at Tifa. He closed his eyes, then looked back at the city he could not see. "I probably won't be able to make it back to this town for a long time..." he said. 

Tifa looked down at the ground. A pain began to grow inside her, as if Cloud was already being separated from her. "Will you be in the papers if you make it big?" she asked with a hint of despair.

"I'll try," said Cloud, still looking at the great beyond.

Tifa looked up at the spiky-haired boy standing on the water tank. "Hey, why don't we make a promise?" she asked him.

He looked down. "Sure," he said. He began to climb down from the tank, then sat down next to her again. He looked deep into her eyes.

Tifa grasped his hand again, then looked at the horizon. "If I'm ever in trouble..." she began. She fumbled for the words, then grasped her forehead with the other hand. "If I'm ever in a bind, you'll come and save me, right?"

Cloud's brow furrowed. "What?"

She tore her gaze away from the horizon, then looked back into his eyes. She shook her head, but continued. "Whenever I'm in trouble, I want my hero to come and save me," she said. "Every girl wants to be rescued by a knight in shining armor. I guess I'm no different..."

Cloud looked into her eyes, then began to choke up. He tried to stifle his laughter, but he began to lose control and he started chortling. 

"What?" asked Tifa, growing impatient. "Come on! Promise me!"

Cloud slowly calmed down, then looked back into her eyes. "Okay, okay," he said. "I promise."

Tifa smiled. "Thanks..." They drew closer. Cloud gently wrapped his arm around her, and together they sat on the water tower, looking at what lied beyond the ocean.

High above, in the night sky, a shooting star streaked across the infinite blue.

  
  


"You remember now?" asked Tifa as she completed her story of the night long ago at the water tower in Nibelheim.

Cloud still did not move from the exit to the bar. "I'm not a hero, and I'm not famous," he said coldly. "I can't keep your promise."

Tifa threw her arms up in despair. "But you got your dream, didn't you!" she yelled. "You left town and joined SOLDIER!"

Cloud still did not turn around.

"So come on!" she said. "I need a favor here! I need my knight in shining armor to step in!" 

Cloud shook his head, then pushed the door open.

"Wait a sec, big-time SOLDIER," said a different voice. 

Cloud turned around and let the door close behind him. The pinball elevator ascended once again, and Barret stepped off. In his hand he carried a small, brown paper sack. "A promise is a promise," he said. 

Barret tossed the brown sack to Cloud. He caught it one-handed, and then he opened it. He poured out several gold coins. 

"Fifteen hundred gil?" he asked Barret with a cold tone. "You've got to be joking..."

Barret growled and clenched his fist. "You ungrateful little-"

"You have the next mission lined up?" asked Cloud. "I'll do it for three thousand."

Barret's eyeballs bulged slightly. His gun clicked as he raised it slightly. "What?" he asked. "Three thousand? I'm going to give you five sec-"

"Barret!" shouted Tifa. 

The gun-toting man turned around slowly and relaxed his control over his cannon arm. 

"We're hurting for help," she said. "Cloud's the best mercenary around. He can take care of pretty much anything we run into."

Cloud raised an eyebrow.

Barret closed his eyes and lowered his gaze. "Tifa, the rest of the money is for Marlene's schooling..."

Tifa walked over to him and gently placed a hand on his arm. "Come on, Barret," she said. "We've got seven more reactors to go..."

Barret let out a sigh. He turned around and looked at Cloud. "Two thousand..."

"Deal," said Cloud.

The large, gun-toting man turned around and walked towards the pinball elevator with the air of defeat hanging around him. He stepped onto it and flipped a switch, then slowly began to descend into the basement below.

Tifa smiled, then walked close to Cloud. She looked him deep in the eyes for the first time in a long while. "Thanks, Cloud..." she said. She gently leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek, then turned around and began to walk towards the back room. "Get some sleep," she said as she opened up the door to her room. "The mission starts early tomorrow!" She closed the door behind her, leaving him alone.

The edge of Cloud's mouth turned upward in a faint trace of a smile.

  
  


III

  
  


"Cloud..." said a voice from beyond.

Cloud opened his eyes. He looked up, down, and side to side. All he could see was a thick wall of fiery red and orange flames. 

"No..." said Cloud. He stood up and unsheathed his sword. He held it in a defensive position, looking for his unseen enemy. 

"Show yourself!" he commanded. Sweat beaded down his face as he continued to look at his surroundings. His pulse was quickening, his eye movement was rapid, and a total expression of fear had overcome his face.

Finally, a ghastly image appeared in front of him. Sephiroth materialized in the fire directly in front of Cloud's vision. His long, grey hair swayed in the wind, but he was unaffected by the intense heat.

"Cloud Strife..." said the grey-haired man.

Immediately, Cloud raised his sword above his head. With a tremendous roar, he brought it down on the black-caped man.

Sephiroth calmly held up a finger in time to stop the massive blade. He succeeded in holding it back. Cloud pushed forward, trying to cut through his finger. However, no matter how much strength he summoned, he could not move his sword any further.

"Nice try," said Sephiroth with an eery calmness. He smiled and retracted his finger. Then he opened his palm. 

An invisible wave of energy blasted the sword from Cloud's hand. It tumbled into the eternal fire that surrounded the two combatants. Cloud fell flat on his back. He braced himself on his elbows and stared up at the tall, black-caped man.

"So much for your training in SOLDIER..." said Sephiroth. He began to walk forward. "Your warrior skills are pitiful."

"No..." said Cloud. He began to craw backwards on his arms and feet. He felt the fire growing hotter and hotter.

"I have come to Midgar to retrieve mother," said Sephiroth. He continued pushing Cloud back.

"No!" shouted Cloud. He was inches away from the flames.

"There is no way you can stop me this time, Cloud Strife!" shouted the black-caped man. He withdrew his long, six-foot sword and pointed it at Cloud.

"No!" screamed the spiky-haired warrior at the top of his lungs. The flames engulfed him entirely. He felt the searing heat all over his body. His nerve endings screamed with pain, his flesh crawled, and his blood boiled.

Sephiroth's chilling laughter filled his eardrums. He took a step back, then seemed to transform before Cloud's eyes. His black cape vanished along with his sword. He hovered several feet into the air, then became transfigured. His legs were replaced with wings, allowing him to float. His right arm was replaced with a sharp, metallic wing, while his other arm remained flesh. 

"Now, face the fury of the One Winged Angel!" shouted Sephiroth.

"No! No! Stop it!" Cloud covered his eyes as the flames consumed him.

  
  


"Cloud!" shouted Tifa.

The spiky-haired rebel opened his eyes. Standing in front of him was Tifa with her arms crossed over her chest. She had a concerned look on her face. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Cloud's jaw hung down slightly. He felt a trickle of cold sweat run down his face, and his nerves were shaking. He looked around, and saw that Barret was sitting at a table in the bar with Biggs, Jessie, and Wedge. 

_It was all a dream..._ he thought. He took a second to calm his nerves down by closing his eyes and mouth. He opened his eyes again, then stood up and walked past Tifa, not even bothering to answer her question.

Cloud walked over to the table where Barret and the others were seated. He began to listen to their conversation as the gun-armed man unraveled several blueprints and maps. He placed them on the table, then pointed to a railway map of the city of Midgar.

"Okay, listen up!" said Barret. "We're gonna get on the Sector Seven train and stay on it until we get to Sector Five on the plate above." He traced the railroad root with his index finger on the map. "Once we get there, we'll sneak into the reactor through a fire escape ladder. Once inside, it's the same routine as the Sector One Reactor. But according to intelligence, there is no guardian standing by the reactor, so we should be able to knock it out relatively easily. Questions?" Barret looked around the table.

"So there's no scorpion thing this time?" asked Jessie.

"No," said Barret. "But who knows what we might run into outside the reactor, so keep your guard up!"

Jessie nodded.

"Okay, let's move out!" said Barret. The other rebels stood up and picked up their gear and weapons. Wedge, Jessie, and Biggs headed out the front door of the bar and down the street towards the train station.

Cloud began to walk towards the exit of the bar. "Wait up, Cloud," said Barret before he could make it out the front door.

The spiky-haired rebel turned around. "What is it?" he asked.

"When we were back there at the Sector One Reactor, I saw that you used a materia attack on the scorpion thing," said Barret. "What the hell is materia, anyway? How do I use it?"

Cloud stood motionless for a second, then began to speak. "Materia is compressed Mako energy that crystalizes. Depending on what shape it forms in and what color it has, every materia crystal has a different effect when it's activated. Materia crystals are small enough that you can put them in slots in your weapons or in your armor, and they can be activated when you touch them. In my Buster Sword, for example, I have an ice materia and a lightning materia. You saw what the lightning one does, and the ice materia freezes things. Both of them are green, and they're considered your basic kind of materia. Purple and yellow materia are supposed to increase a person's physical abilities. There's also red materia, which is so dense that when it's activated it's supposed to be able to summon spirits from within the earth."

Barret stood still for a second, then hardened his gaze and rubbed his chin. "Sounds like a bunch of magic hoopla," he said. "You can mess around with your materia all you want, but I'm gonna stick with my canon."

"Suit yourself," said Cloud. He turned around and headed for the door.

"Wait!" said Tifa.

Barret looked at the bar's owner. "What is it now?"

Tifa reached into her pocket and pulled out a green materia crystal the size of a marble. She turned her palm over and placed it in a metal slot on her glove. It clicked in securely. She clenched her fist, then cracked her knuckles. "I'm coming with you," she said.

Barret stared at her. "What?"

"Come on," said Tifa. "I never have any fun. Besides, you guys could always use an extra hand." She clenched her fists.

Barret sighed, then shook his head. "Alright... Just keep close to us!" He turned towards the door, then checked his pockets to make sure he had enough ammo. He felt several rounds and a few shells. He then adjusted his bandolier and smiled. "It's time to rock and roll," he said.

Cloud nodded, then walked out the front door, motioning for Tifa and Barret to follow.

  
  


The Sector Seven train station was just as glum and dirty as it had been when the rebels had got off the train a few hours earlier. A slight breeze blew across the platform, and chilled the spines of an embracing couple. The lights from the plate above cast a hazy glow on the station, giving the place a ghastly effect.

Next to the train platform was a massive, black engine similar to the one that the rebels had rode earlier that morning. Its large light cut through the heavy dust and smog of the tracks ahead. A conductor stood by the first of three passenger cars.

In a close circle, Wedge, Jessie, and Biggs stood waiting for Barret and the others. They shivered as the slight breeze ran over them. The cold air penetrated their thick overcoats and armor.

"How much longer do you think before they get here?" asked Wedge, chattering his teeth.

"Not long," said Biggs as he crossed his arms over his chest to protect himself from the cold. "The train leaves soon anyway."

Jessie shivered and looked around the corner of the station. Three figures were approaching. She immediately recognized them as Cloud, Tifa, and Barret.

"Let's go, guys," said Jessie. "Train's leaving soon."

Cloud stepped up onto the platform, followed by Tifa and Barret. The rebels exchanged glances among themselves, then stepped onboard the passenger car. Cloud brought up the rear, making sure that no one had followed them.

The conductor smiled as he closed the passenger car door. He signaled to the engineer at the head of the train, who started up the engine. With a hiss of steam, the massive train lurched forward.

  
  


The second of three passenger cars was almost identical to the car that Barret and the others had rode in a few hours ago. It was just as dirty as the rebels had left it. The dim light shined down on the interior, casting a hazy glow throughout the car. The light bubbles rattled as the train went over the rails, producing a hollow clicking sound.

A lone Shinra businessman sat on one of cushioned seats and looked out the window on the other side of the car. He held a briefcase in his right hand, nervous that suspicious people from the slums would barge in at any minute. 

His suspicions were confirmed when the door opened. The tall, dark-skinned muscular man he had seen last night walked through the door. He was followed by the blonde-haired man with a cloak that was also on the train last night. Finally, a woman with long, black hair and leather gloves walked in.

Barret rested his hands on his hips and surveyed the car. He turned around to the other two. "Keep a low profile," he said. As he looked at Cloud, he realized he did not even need to bother saying such a thing. 

The businessman looked at the three seedy characters and lowered his head. He loosened his tie. "Hoodlums again..." he mumbled. "God, don't I have all the luck?"

Barret overheard the man's comment. He turned around and walked over to where he was sitting. He towered over the skinny passenger as he glared down at him. The gun-armed rebel's face grew sour. "Did you say sumth'n?"

The frail businessman looked up and shivered. Beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead. "M-m-me?"

Barret narrowed his eyes. He reached down with his hand and grabbed the man by the shirt, then he picked him up like he was a feather. With a loud bang, he shoved the man against the glass window and pressed him against it. "Yes, you," said Barret slowly. His gaze narrowed even further as he brought his face closer to the other man's. "Did you say something?"

The businessman was now trembling terribly. His eyes were as wide as plates as he stared at Barret. "I-I-I was just commenting about the news..."

Barret smiled and pressed him harder against the window. "Oh yeah? What's so important in the news that you have to talk under your breath?"

The man shivered. "Um... th-they say that there's going to be more bombings today!"

Barret slammed the scrawny man against the window again. "Is that so?"

Cloud watched emotionlessly. Tifa chuckled.

"O-only devoted employees like me would go to work today!" said the man nervously.

Barret's gun arm clicked. "You work for Shinra?"

"Y-y-yes!" shouted the man.

Barret brought his massive machine gun up and leveled it at the man's forehead. He shrieked loudly.

"Barret!" shouted Tifa.

The gun-armed man brought his weapon down. The man with the briefcase fainted. "Wasn't worth the bullet..." he commented. Angrily, he flung the man aside and into the aisle, then turned to Tifa and Cloud. "What a spineless son of a bitch."

Cloud shifted his gaze from the fuming Barret to the businessman lying on the floor. His tie was wrinkled, and his glasses were cracked. His coat was disheveled, and he was drooling slightly on the floor.

"Smooth, Barret," said Tifa. "We really shouldn't be attracting attention at least until we get to the reactor!"

Cloud walked over to the man and surveyed his brown briefcase. It was a few feet away from his outstretched hand, and it lay flat on the floor. He walked still closer, then picked it up. He examined the handle, and saw a red button on it. A red light was flashing near the luggage tag. 

"Barret..." said Cloud.

The angry, gun-armed man turned away from his argument with Tifa. "What?" he demanded.

"This guy was a decoy," said the spiky-haired rebel. 

Barret shifted his eyebrow and gave his full attention to Cloud. "What did you say?"

Cloud held out the briefcase and showed Barret the flashing red light. "This guy was a spy," said the blonde rebel. "He was on this train last night to see if we took this route. Then they must've put him on here to make sure we took this route back up. When he pushed this button, it probably sent a signal to some Shinra division to tip them off that we're here."

Barret's eyes slowly enlarged as he studied the red light closer. 

The train suddenly grinded to a halt. The air breaks hissed, and Tifa grabbed a nearby pole to prevent herself from falling.

The loudspeaker above the door crackled to life. The three rebels turned around and looked at it as the engineer's voice filled the cab. "Avalanche rebels," said the voice, "this is the train's engineer! Discard your weapons and surrender!"

Barret growled. His gun clicked.

"Failure to surrender will result in your immediate death!" said the voice.

"Kiss my ass!" yelled Barret. He raised his gun arm and released several quick bursts of bullets into the loudspeaker. It shattered into several pieces and fell to the floor. The wires inside hung limp and sparked violently.

Cloud looked at the door to the third car. He ran to it calmly, then slid the bar over to lock it shut. "There's probably a whole bunch of troops in the last car," he commented. "Right now, we're probably stuck in this train."

Barret reached into his pocket and pulled out a large, green mortar shell. He loaded it into the barrel of his chain gun, then pointed it at the door to the third car. "As soon as they get through that door, they'll be blown to pieces." He took a firm stance in the aisle of the train car, ready to face the onslaught.

Cloud cast off his cloak and withdrew his sword. He held it at a defensive position and stood next to Barret. He locked his eyes on the door to the third car.

Tifa tightened her leather gloves. "Bring 'em on," she said with a smile as she cracked her knuckles. She stood behind Cloud and Barret.

The large, wooden door began to thump. The long, metal bar placed over it rattled and began to bend. The door began to splinter as if it was being hit with a battering ram. It cracked loudly with each successive blow.

Barret clicked his chain gun, spinning the chamber with the heavy mortar shell into the firing position. "Come on in..." he said quietly. He scrunched up his face into a sneer.

With one last loud thump, the door splintered into a thousand pieces. The bar flew through the air and crashed through the window. 

In the instant that the door shattered, Barret released the massive mortar shell from his chain gun. It sailed through the air and landed somewhere in the third car. "Duck!" he shouted as he fell to the ground.

Cloud hit the ground before Barret ever did, and Tifa followed quickly after. As soon as they landed on the aisle of the train car, a tremendous blast shook the train. The boom was deafening. Debris, wood, body parts, guns, and metal flew out of the door as a fireball consumed the soldiers that were unfortunate enough to inhabit the last passenger car.

Through the smoke and dust, three red coated soldiers stumbled forward with standard-issue Shinra rifles. They surveyed the second passenger car of the train and saw the unconscious businessman.

Before they could lay eyes on the rebels, the lead trooper had been cut apart at the waist by a salvo of bullets from Barret's chain gun. The other soldiers immediately raised their rifles and fired in the direction that the bullets had come from. 

Cloud calmly stood up and looked with his piercing eyes at the troopers. They raised their eyes and looked back at him, then began to raise their rifles.

Before they ever had a chance to fire on the spiky-haired rebel, Cloud flew forward with lightning speed and raised his Buster Sword over his head. He opened his eyes wide and felt the adrenaline pump through his veins. He roared as he stood over the two soldiers, then brought his enormous blade down and cut the enemy in half. 

The other soldier shrieked in astonishment and took a step back. Cloud immediately turned to him and narrowed his eyes, then swung his sword horizontally. The heavy blade easily cleaved the red-coated trooper in half. His rifle cluttered to the ground as his face betrayed horror. He fell in half and clattered next to his comrades.

Cloud turned to look into the flaming third car. He saw several figures moving towards him with their rifles up.

"They're mine!" shouted Tifa. Cloud stepped to the side, giving her a clear shot at the soldiers coming into the next car.

Tifa dashed over Barret and ran up the aisle of the second car. Several blasts of firepower soared through the air. The agile woman easily leaped over them, then cartwheeled into the next car.

The soldiers prepared to release another blast of firepower, but Tifa leaped out of her cartwheel and landed her heavy combat boot into the leader of the platoon's throat. It snapped loudly, and he fell to the floor with a clatter, gasping for air. She landed on the ground, then swept out the legs of the other troops with a single kick. They fell to the ground as the agile woman stood up.

Tifa raised her left hand into the air and clenched her fist. She felt the green materia stone in her hand grow warm. Its energy flowed through her arm and traveled through her body. She opened her fist and exposed the materia crystal in the slot of her glove in her palm to the soldiers spread out on the floor.

An intense burst of fire leapt from Tifa's palm and seared through the protective armor and flesh of the troops. The hellish glow filled the room and illuminated her face as she unleashed blast after blast. She turned around and released a ball of fire upon the other troops, cooking them just as evenly.

The fire was beginning to spread throughout the third car. Sensing that all the troops were now destroyed, Tifa dashed out of the last car and into the second to meet up with Barret and Cloud, who were dusting themselves off.

"Barret!" said a crackling voice. 

Barret looked down at his vest pocket. He reached in and pulled out a small radio, then held it up to his ear and pressed a button. "Go ahead, Jessie," said Barret.

"Barret, they have troops in the third car!" said Jessie over the radio.

The gun-toting man growled and scrunched up his face. "No shit!" he yelled. "What do you think those explosions were?"

"Sorry!" shouted Jessie. "We just took out two spies here in the first car, and Wedge and Biggs went on to take out the engineer."

Tifa looked at Cloud. "We're gonna be stuck here in the tunnels," she said. "We must be at least inside the upper city by now."

Barret nodded. "Jessie, can you tell exactly where we are in Midgar?" 

Jessie's voice came crackling back. "Yeah, Tifa's right. We're somewhere inside the plate. We're probably not too far from the Number Five Reactor either."

"We can't take the train," said Cloud. "Shinra's already on to this operation."

Barret turned around and growled at the blonde rebel. "You got any better ideas?"

"Blow up the train and proceed on foot," said Cloud. 

"What?" asked Barret.

"He's right," said Tifa as she looked at the gun-armed man. "If we take the train right into the Number Five Reactor Station, they'll be waiting for us because we already took out their troops. If we walk, we can probably find a way inside the building from one of the railroad tunnels and make it unnoticed."

"Blowing up the train would probably make 'em to think we're dead, too," said Barret as he began to understand Cloud's plan. He looked down at the floor, then back at the third car which was now engulfed in flames. He held the radio back up to his mouth. "Jessie, do we have a spare bomb?"

Several seconds later, Jessie answered. "Yeah, I always carry a spare," she replied. "Why?"

"Stuff it inside the boiler of the engine and give us five minutes to get clear," said Barret. 

"What?" asked Jessie.

"Just do it!" roared Barret. "Take some of the soldiers' uniforms and get inside the reactor. Make it easy for us to sneak in!"

Jessie hesitated for a few minutes, then answered. "Okay," she said. "I'm setting the timer now! Get going! We'll all split up! Good luck!"

Barret pocketed the radio. He turned to the other two rebels, who were waiting patiently in front of him with their weapons drawn. "You heard me talkin' to her!" he shouted. "Five minutes before this train blows into a hundred million pieces! Let's move!"

Cloud holstered his sword and immediately dashed out of the side door of one of the passenger cars. Tifa followed closely, and Barret ran behind them. They jumped off of the steps at the door to the cars and landed in gravel.

The spiky-haired rebel surveyed his surroundings briefly. On the tracks behind them was the train. In front of him was the concrete barrier of the tunnel they were obviously in. Beneath the rails and their feet were stones designed to absorb the shock of the passing trains. A dim red light shined somewhere overhead, casting a hellish glow in the subway tunnel.

"Don't just stand there!" shouted Barret. "Come on! Let's move! The reactor is that way!"

Cloud nodded. He turned to his left and began to run. The gravel kicked up underneath his feet as Barret and Tifa followed. The spiky-haired rebel jumped out to a quick lead as he got farther and farther away from the train. He looked down at his wristwatch and saw the minutes tick away until the bomb would go off.

Barret was almost a hundred meters behind the fast-footed Cloud. His great size slowed him down as he tried to put distance between himself and the doomed train. He looked ahead as the tunnel curved slightly. 

"Damn kids are fast!" said Barret to himself as Tifa and Cloud got out of visual range. He looked down at his watch. Three seconds remained. "Hit the dirt!" he yelled ahead, hoping the other rebels would hear him. He dropped flat on his stomach.

A deafening explosion filled the subway. The blast battered Barret's eardrums. He closed his eyes and clenched his teeth, bringing his hands over his ears. The noise still echoed, as if an atomic blast had just gone off.

A wave of dust, flame, and smoke rolled through the tunnel. Barret kept down on the ground and did not open his eyes as the debris washed over him. He felt the searing heat as it scorched his clothes. 

After what seemed like an eternity for Barret, the fire disappeared and the dust began to thin out. He opened his eyes and uncovered his ears, then stood up. He looked around the subway tunnel and saw that the walls had been scorched black. The remains of the train had to be at least a half mile back. Unfortunately, he could not see the great disaster that Jessie had caused.

Slowly, he began to walk forward along the tracks. The Midgar Railway Commission would obviously notice the explosion and hold all further traffic in the tunnel for awhile, so walking on the rails would be safe. He kept walking until he came around a bend, then saw Cloud and Tifa standing with their backs to him.

"Sheeit you kids are fast," said Barret as he approached them. Cloud took no notice, but Tifa turned around.

"Barret, look at this," she said. She pointed ahead. Three feet ahead of them were a series of green lasers that crossed from wall to wall of the tunnel, forming a barrier. They hummed evilly as they cut off further access to the subway.

"Damn," said Barret. He growled and shook his head. "They probably put this up as soon as they stopped the train."

Tifa gazed at the lasers that barred the threesome's path. "There's no way we could squeeze through them without getting cut into ribbons."

Barret narrowed his gaze then growled. He kicked several of the large stones underneath the rails into the laser barrier. They immediately disintegrated with a loud buzz, leaving nothing but a small wisp of smoke.

"So what the hell are we supposed to do?" asked Barret. Almost as if someone was answering him, his radio crackled to life again.

"Barret!" shouted Jessie's voice.

Barret reached into his vest pocket and pulled out his radio, then pushed a bvutton to speak. "What is it?"

"Did you guys get stuck at the laser gate yet?" asked Jessie.

"Yeah!" replied Barret angrily. "How the hell did you guys get around it?"

"Look to your left!" said Jessie. 

Cloud looked to the left of the laser gate. Near the ceiling of the tunnel was a small ventilation duct built into the wall. A ladder extended down from the duct to the ground, providing easy access.

"It's a ventilation shaft," said Cloud. 

Barret looked up at the duct, then turned back to the radio. "Damn it, there's no way I'll be able to squeeze into that thing!"

"Just do it, Barret!" shouted Jessie. "We squeezed Wedge into one on the far end of the tunnel. We're already inside the Number Five reactor. We'll try to find the duct by where you are and make the infiltration a little bit easier. I have to go before anyone catches on to me! Over and out!" Jessie's voice disappeared, and the radio died out.

Without waiting for Barret to complain more, Cloud ascended the rungs of the ladder and looked at the metal grating covering the ventilation duct. He narrowed his eyes, then grabbed a few of the bars of the grating with one hand. With a quick jerk, the grating popped off and scattered bolts across the ground below.

"What the hell do you think you're doin'?" asked Barret. However, Cloud did not hear him as he disappeared into the ventilation duct and began crawling.

The gun-armed man looked over at Tifa. She shook her head. "Come on, this is the only way we can get there!" she said as she walked over to the ladder. She ascended it quickly, then crawled into the passageway easily.

Barret mumbled under his breath and shook his head. He walked over to the ladder, then climbed it and managed to squeeze his way into the ventilation duct.

  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
